Pragmatic is an adjective that describes someone who is more interested in results and consequences than with ideals or theories. Someone who is pragmatic is concerned with how things are now rather than with what could or should be. Pragmatic people tend to be logical and analytical, and they focus on fact rather than opinion. They are usually very clear and straightforward in their communication, and they don’t tend to get bogged down by a philosophy or theory that may not be practical or useful. They are focused on getting the job done and will do what is necessary to reach a goal.
The word pragmatic comes from the Latin phrase pragmata, meaning “things done, affairs,” and it is also the root of several English words related to action and practicality. The Latin word is closely related to the Latin noun praxis, meaning “doing or making” and its English variants pragmaticus and praxicum, and from pragma (meaning “thing, affair”). The term is also related to other languages and idioms, such as the French pragmatique, the German pragmatik and the Italian pragmata.
Pragmatism is a philosophical view that has gained a significant following in recent decades. It presents a third alternative to both analytic and ‘Continental’ philosophical traditions worldwide. It was first developed in the United States, beginning with discussions within a so-called Metaphysical Club at Harvard University around 1870. Its early proponents included Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) and William James (1842-1910). Peirce was a logician and mathematician, while James was a philosopher and psychologist with a medical degree.
Peirce and James characterized their approach as a principle or maxim for clarifying concepts and identifying empty disputes. They were not attempting to eschew metaphysical claims, however, as James pointed out in his Varieties of Pragmatism. Rather, James believed that something is only true if it works on some level, such as a psychological one; thus, a statement that prayer is heard, for example, is more likely to be truthful than not.
A second generation of pragmatists, such as John Dewey and Jane Addams, turned the pragmatic maxim into a broad-based epistemology that addresses issues of inquiry, meaning and the nature of truth. In this context, pragmatism is often called American pragmatism, and it has made contributions to education, politics and other dimensions of social improvement. It has also informed a variety of academic fields, including anthropology, philosophy, education, leadership studies and research methodology. In addition, the pragmatist stance has been applied to many areas of applied fields, such as public administration, political science and management.
