Pragmatic is a word used to describe someone who thinks in terms of practical results and outcomes. It’s a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between thought and action, and is often cited by applied fields such as public administration, political science, leadership studies, international relations, conflict resolution and research methodology. In the world of business, pragmatic thinking is often lauded as an effective way to achieve results that matter. In some cases, it’s even seen as a moral imperative to do whatever necessary to attain goals in the name of the greater good.
One of the best known uses of the word pragmatic is in reference to a particular form of cognitive behavioral therapy that helps people change their thought patterns and thus alter their behavior. This sort of therapy is described as pragmatic because it’s based on changing the underlying processes that cause a person to behave in certain ways rather than simply changing specific behaviors that are being performed.
The idea behind this type of therapy is that if a person is always reacting to a situation emotionally rather than logically, they will continue to react the same way no matter what the circumstances are. The goal is to train a person to be able to think logically instead of emotionally, so they can make decisions that are most beneficial to them and those around them.
It’s also possible to use the word pragmatic to refer to a specific school of philosophical thought. Pragmatism is a school of philosophy that originated in the United States around 1870, and it presents a distinct third alternative to the analytic and continental traditions of thought worldwide. Its first generation of pragmatists included Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and Josiah Royce.
The pragmatists are distinguished from the analytic philosophers in that they stress the importance of real-world experience in the formation of concepts, hypotheses and theories. They also place a high value on the molding and remolding of language, and they view the process of constructing knowledge as an important part of a person’s interaction with reality.
Pragmatism also emphasizes that the boundaries between semantics and pragmatics are porous. To a pragmatist, the meaning of a description is determined by its attributional context or, in other words, by the speaker’s intention. As a result, it can be difficult to draw an absolute line between semantics and pragmatics, especially when discussing a question of truth. For example, a child’s belief in the existence of invisible gremlins could be considered pragmatic, because it produces results that are desirable and predictable. However, there is no evidence that gremlins exist, so the child’s belief cannot be considered to be true. For this reason, it is crucial to teach children how to distinguish between pragmatic and dogmatic ideas in order to be able to make informed decisions in a safe environment. This is why many autism treatment programs use social stories and role-playing to help children develop their pragmatic skills.
