Abstract

This paper attempts to assess the viability of M. Frápolli’s pragmatic account of scientific truth in the context of moderately pluralistic view of research process. Mixed-methods approach, which embodies the moderately pluralistic view in the social sciences, combines various methods, i.e. quantitative and qualitative, within a single research process in order to cross-validate and integrate the results into a coherent answer to the initial problem. Prima facie the pragmatic account of scientific truth squares well with the pragmatic justification of the mixed-methods approach, addressing the objections on content incommensurability or meaning ambigui- ties. However, as I argue, the pragmatic account of truth may not be able to significantly contribute to resolve the problem of ‘institutionalized assertion of falsehood’, unless it will accommodate some form of moderately pluralistic view of the research process allowing for cross-validation of tentative assertion of the purported scientific truth.