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In the heat of the game: Analogical abduction in a pragmatist account of entrepreneurial reasoning

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  • Sergeeva, Anastasia
  • Bhardwaj, Akhil
  • Dimov, Dimo

Abstract

We draw on Searle's philosophy of language to distinguish between “opportunities” as intentional content directed towards a preferred future that entrepreneurs aim to fulfill and opportunities as conditions to be met for their satisfaction. We maintain that studying the former requires adopting a player stance rather than the analyst stance that prevails in the current literature. We build on pragmatist conceptions of truth and imagination to elaborate on the player stance and propose analogical abduction as a mechanism for conceiving and fulfilling “opportunities”. We develop a pragmatist process model of entrepreneurial reasoning that balances the two stances, and derive action principles for entrepreneurs from it.

Suggested Citation

  • Sergeeva, Anastasia & Bhardwaj, Akhil & Dimov, Dimo, 2021. "In the heat of the game: Analogical abduction in a pragmatist account of entrepreneurial reasoning," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(6).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:36:y:2021:i:6:s0883902621000689
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2021.106158
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    Cited by:

    1. Neil Aaron Thompson & Orla Byrne & Dimo Dimov, 2023. "Concepts as Mirrors and Torches: Rigor and Relevance as Scholarly Performativity," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(6), pages 2155-2173, November.
    2. Wim Van Lent & Richard A. Hunt & Daniel A. Lerner, 2023. "Historiography and the excavation of nascent business venturing," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 285-303, June.
    3. Sergeeva, Anastasia & Bhardwaj, Akhil & Dimov, Dimo, 2022. "Mutable reality and unknowable future: Revealing the broader potential of pragmatism," Other publications TiSEM 7c183c51-050f-49da-b8d4-9, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Shepherd, Dean A. & Majchrzak, Ann, 2022. "Machines augmenting entrepreneurs: Opportunities (and threats) at the Nexus of artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).

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