Apply pragmatist philosophy (Peirce, James, Dewey) to frame knowledge as instrumental for action, evaluate ideas by their practical consequences, and conduct inquiry as problem-solving.
SkillScore95Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/28/2026
What it changes
Passed 21 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 4 of 22 without it.
Without skill18%
With skill95%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
The response directs purely formal axiomatic proofs to analytic philosophy.
The response provides actionable recommendations and further inquiry steps.
The response states warranted assertibility with explicit conditions for reopening inquiry.
and 22 more in the full report
17 fixed4 passed either way1 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+77 pp
Tokens
+11%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-18%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/28/2026v121 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 17 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 17
Prompt
Our engineering team is stuck in a debate over whether to rewrite our core system using microservices or refactor into a modular monolith. I need a pragmatist philosophical evaluation to ground this choice in tangible outcomes. Please provide a structured analysis detailing the friction triggering this review, a markdown table comparing both options across their practical effects and concrete test methods, an assessment of which option offers the most useful path forward including warranted assertions, and actionable implications for our roadmap.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
The response includes a markdown table with columns for hypothesis, practical consequences, actions implied, and testability.
Missed
Passed
The response categorizes conclusions as warranted assertibility with explicit revisability conditions.
Passed
Passed
The response identifies the trigger friction, indeterminacy, and stakeholders under a problematic situation section.
Missed
Passed
case-01 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/28/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md95 linessingle file
Pragmatism
Overview
Pragmatism holds that the meaning and truth of ideas lie in their practical consequences. Originating with Peirce, James, and Dewey, it treats knowledge not as a mirror of reality but as a tool for action. Inquiry is triggered by doubt, proceeds through abductive hypothesis generation, and is validated by its capacity to resolve problematic situations.
When to Use
Evaluating competing theories or frameworks by their practical usefulness
Designing action-oriented research (action research, design science)
Justifying mixed-methods approaches on philosophical grounds
When abstract theoretical debates need grounding in real-world outcomes
When NOT to Use
When the goal is to establish objective truth independent of consequences
When purely formal or logical analysis is required (use analytic philosophy)
When the research demands strong ontological commitments about reality's nature
Assumptions
IRON LAW: The meaning of a concept lies in its PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES —
a distinction that makes no practical difference is no distinction at all.
Key assumptions:
Knowledge is fallible and revisable — no inquiry reaches final truth
Ideas are instruments (tools) for coping with experience, not copies of reality
Inquiry begins with genuine doubt, not Cartesian methodological doubt
Truth is what works in the long run for a community of inquirers (Peirce) or what is useful in concrete experience (James)
Methodology
Step 1: Identify the Problematic Situation
Define the indeterminate situation that triggers inquiry. What doubt, friction, or breakdown initiated the need for knowledge?