Pragmatic is a philosophical movement that focuses on how people actually use language. It seeks to close the gap between theory and lived experience, and tries to find out how the world works by studying how we use it. Its main proponents are Charles Sanders Peirce, who developed the pragmatic maxim; and William James, who popularized it. Pragmatism now presents a growing third alternative to analytic and Continental philosophy worldwide.

The word pragmatic comes from a Latin root meaning “to practice.” It describes someone who is concerned with results and consequences rather than purely theoretical issues. It can also refer to a political position that is considered middle of the road and takes arguments from both sides into account.

A pragmatist is not interested in absolute truths and will use whatever method is necessary to achieve the desired results. For example, if the goal is to win a war, a pragmatic strategy would involve using bombs and other military measures rather than diplomatic means. It is important to understand that a pragmatic approach does not mean being dishonest.

In the early 1870s, Peirce and his friend James developed a set of ideas that they called pragmatism. Peirce argued that we can only know something about the world by experiencing it and trying to make sense of it. He called this process ‘pragmatic clarification of reality’. He claimed that it enabled us to distinguish the real from the false and that it allowed us to identify empty disputes. James gave a more positive interpretation of pragmatism, treating it as a methodology or principle for clarifying concepts and hypotheses, though he also used it to identify emptiness.

Pragmatism grew out of discussions at a so-called metaphysical club that met in Harvard around 1870. This group included Peirce, James and a number of psychologists and lawyers who were also philosophers. Peirce and James later published their ideas on pragmatism in a series of publications.

During the twentieth century, some philosophers such as Hilary Putnam attempted to revive pragmatism and bring it back into the mainstream of philosophy. His work highlighted the centrality of practice to knowledge and promoted a rejection of dichotomies such as fact/value, mind/body, analytic/synthetic, and objectivity/subjectivity. Other scholars, such as Richard Rorty, also endorsed pragmatism and contributed to its revival.