What are the pros and cons of being pragmatic vs dogmatic?

This question has many parallels to both politics and religion; they’re all similar in the sense that people who are dogmatic follow a set of rules (dogma) uncritically that was set down at some point in time. In other words, they accept the ways of the past regardless of what is happening now, or in this decade or century.

A pragmatic person assesses the current situation and works to address (whatever) with the facts as they are today. The pragmatist doesn’t necessarily dump the lessons of the past, but he/she looks at them critically to see if they meet the situation or challenge. If a new approach is needed, the pragmatist is open to change, unconstrained by the dogma of the past.

Obviously I am a pragmatist.

@elbanditoroso Perfect description of the difference.

People who are dogmatic have ceded the right to think. Pragmatists are always thinking.

Pragmatists are usually less happy, while dogmatic people are blissfully ignorant

When I think about “pragmatic”, it seems to include a bit of the connotation of excusing cynicism. There’s no aspiration in it, it’s just doing what needs to be done or exactly where the steps before lead you. So if I’m being pragmatic, it’s almost like settling for the path of least resistance. It’s “sensible” with a touch of guile. To me, that describes the pros and cons of pragmatic thinking. It definitely has it’s place, but it’s not something I take pride in.

The upside of dogma is that you don’t have to put any energy or thought into things you can accept at that level. The downside comes when you simply never examine those things at all, and take them at someone’s word. You’re essentially acting with zero cynicism.

I think way too much, and I’m prone to reexamining everything over and over, even when the decision has been made so many times before. So I’ve learned to lay down my own dogma when I can, and just let those things be for a while. It’s a better approach (for me).

Relationships, decisions, and things we accept to be true about ourselves can really suffer from over examination. Putting those things away for a while can help and free up yourself up for new ideas and experiences.

Sprinkling a little dogma in helps me get out of my own head.

I see pragmatic with more of a favorable connotation than @funkdaddy. To me it means doing what needs to be done. I see dogmatic as having a negative connotation, indicating being authoritarian. The question could be reframed as to how closely the accepted rules need to be followed. Like so much in life, the ideal is somewhere in the middle. Sometimes the rules need to be bent, but you have to be careful in how and when you do it.