Whether you judge decisions by their practical consequences, or by how well they match principled ideals.
What the two poles mean
Pragmatism
A score toward 0 means you lean strongly toward pragmatism. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
Idealism
A score toward 100 means you lean strongly toward idealism. On this axis, positions near this pole reflect the priorities described above.
A common misconception
An idealism-leaning score is not naivety. It means you judge actions by how well they match principles, not just by their immediate results — a different but coherent way of deciding.
Pragmatism is sometimes caricatured as having no principles, while idealism is caricatured as having no sense of reality. Neither is accurate. Pragmatists typically hold principles too; they simply believe the right choice is the one that produces the best actual outcome, even if it requires compromise. Idealists typically understand consequences; they just refuse to sacrifice core principles for expediency, believing that doing so corrupts the goal itself.
Both positions carry real costs. Pragmatism risks drifting with circumstance; idealism risks paralysis or harm done in the name of purity. The axis describes which risk you find more acceptable — a genuine strategic disagreement, not a difference in intelligence or integrity.
How it relates to the other axes
Pragmatism correlates with science (evidence) and tends to sit opposite to tradition and firm principle-holding.
Where you stand
Find out where you stand on this axis — and the other 15 — by taking the 16 Values Test. It is free, anonymous and takes about five minutes.