Pragmatic is a philosophical movement that views language and thought as tools for prediction, problem solving and action, rather than as describing, representing or mirroring reality. Pragmatists believe that most philosophical topics, such as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts and meaning, belief and science are best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes. Pragmatism is generally associated with Charles Sanders Peirce, who developed pragmatic maxims and with 20th-century contributors John Dewey, William James and George Herbert Mead.
A broad field of study, pragmatics seeks to understand the context-dependence of various aspects of linguistic interpretation and communication. It is distinguished from semantics and syntax in that it focuses on the meaning of words as used by speakers in particular situations, as opposed to the formal or literal meaning of those words. The discipline of pragmatics also includes the theory of reference resolution (the way that one word can be interpreted as being either a noun or a verb, and that this meaning can vary depending on the context), speech act theory and conversational implicature.
The pragmatism of William James, in particular, emphasizes the connection between thought and action. James’ metaphysical stance is a form of pragmatism, and it is sometimes described as “the view that something works only insofar as it works.” It thus leaves open the possibility of the existence of transcendent realities. This is a more pragmatic approach than the atheist position that denies any such reality.
Contemporary pragmatists tend to be critical of the pretensions of formal logic and see it as one logical tool among many. They are also critical of the Platonic idealism that underlies much philosophy, and they advocate a more phenomenological view of reality. This is a more naturalistic view than classical pragmatism, which was influenced by Hegel and Kant.
Applied fields like public administration, political science, leadership studies, international relations and research methodology have incorporated the tenets of pragmatism. The pragmatist’s emphasis on practical outcomes has made it particularly attractive to those involved in public policy making and business.
The term is also applied to methods of research and clinical practice. For example, in healthcare research, the patient-centered research model, which stresses the involvement of patients and other stakeholders as a crucial part of the process, is considered a pragmatic method. Other pragmatic methodologies include quality improvement and evaluation.
The pragmatist approach to life is a useful one in some circumstances, but in others it can be counterproductive. Pragmatism is often seen as a middle-of-the-road attitude that seeks to balance idealistic, utopian goals with realistic, functional solutions. For example, when trying to save a species from extinction, taking a pragmatic approach to saving the animals is more likely to be successful than adopting an ideological viewpoint that will never work. The same is true for the practice of medicine, where a practical, flexible approach to managing patients is more likely to succeed than rigid, adherence to an outdated medical paradigm.
