Pragmatic is a philosophical approach that looks at language and meaning in context. It goes beyond semantics to incorporate social, cultural and situational factors that influence the way we communicate with one another. It’s a philosophy that takes into account how we are perceived in the moment and how our actions affect others. It’s the pragmatic knowledge of how the world works that allows you to make the right choices in everyday life. For example, if you know that there is only a slim chance that an ambiguous statement like “I found this painting next to a tree” will be taken literally, you will take it as a joke or a metaphor.
The word pragmatic comes from a Latin phrase, pragma, which means “to do or to act”. A person who is pragmatic is practical and sensible in their actions and beliefs. They don’t take things too seriously and are willing to compromise in order to get the results they want. They are also willing to learn from mistakes and adapt their approach to the circumstances.
Early pragmatists developed their ideas in discussions at the Metaphysical Club that took place at Harvard in the 1870s and in James’s lectures from 1898. Peirce and James used pragmatism as the name of a method, principle or maxim for clarifying concepts and hypotheses, and for identifying empty disputes. This led to a distinctive epistemological outlook that was fallibilist and anti-Cartesian, with a view of truth as an experimental and evaluative phenomenon that is always in need of further investigation.
In the early 20th century, Dewey and other classical pragmatists extended this broad vision to social and political ideals, in the spirit of Emerson and Addams’ notion of democracy. In the philosophy of religion, this pragmatism took the form of an alethic pluralism that leaves open room for religious truth claims. James’s pragmatism was a variant of realism, and the later work of William James on a broader alethic pluralism was influenced by Wittgenstein.
While classical pragmatism’s progressive social ideals have diminished in some quarters, a number of contemporary philosophers are continuing to develop the ideas. For example, recent contributions to the philosophy of science and metaphysics have emphasized pragmatism’s connections with Kantian thought (Gava, 2014). There is also a continuing scholarly interest in pragmatist analysis of language, including issues of ambiguity and vagueness, the reference of proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, and presupposition.
In addition, there is a wide range of applications of pragmatism in areas as diverse as public administration, leadership studies, international relations, and research methodology. Increasingly, popular culture and media reflect the pragmatic values that underpin this philosophy. For example, many of today’s social media platforms are designed to promote a pragmatic middle of the road position that avoids extremist positions in order to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and maximize their advertising revenues. The pragmatist perspective is widely admired in the political realm as well as in business, health care, and education.
