Pragmatic is the ability to be flexible and adaptable in a variety of social situations. It is a necessary skill for effective communication and social interactions, as it can help us understand how to interpret other people’s non-verbal cues, resolve conflicts, and communicate ideas clearly in different contexts. Pragmatic skills are important in the workplace, where they can help improve teamwork and conflict resolution and strengthen professional relationships. They are also vital in personal relationships, as they can help individuals understand their partner’s emotional needs and adapt to different communication styles.
The word pragmatic is related to the Latin praegere, meaning “to do.” A person who is pragmatic is concerned more with real-world applications of ideas than with abstract notions. A pragmatic four-year-old doesn’t ask for a unicorn for his or her birthday. Pragmatism is often characterized as the antithesis of idealism.
A major underpinning of pragmatism is that knowledge is based on experience. The world that we perceive is based on our own individual experiences, but it is also influenced by the social experiences of everyone around us. Therefore, the truth is always a combination of these individual and social experiences. It is impossible to know the absolute truth of anything, so we must be pragmatic and compromise on truths instead of believing only in one side or the other (Morgan 2014a).
Another major aspect of pragmatism is that it emphasizes the importance of practical inquiry. This involves looking at the results of an action or experiment and comparing it to its goals. This allows pragmatists to be less concerned with determining whether something is true or not. They believe that what matters most is what is actually used or implemented in practice, and thus, the truth is determined by what works (Morgan 2014b).
The ideas of pragmatism are rooted in discussions at a metaphysical club that took place at Harvard around 1870. Charles Sanders Peirce and William James, who were both pragmatists, developed these ideas further in publications from the 1880s to the early 1900s. It is now seen as a growing third alternative to analytic and continental philosophy worldwide.
