The word pragmatic describes a person or approach that is sensible and grounded. People are often told that they should be more pragmatic, meaning to focus on the realistic options or courses of action, instead of always pursuing their ideals. However, the pragmatist philosophy isn’t without flaws, and it can have dangerous implications when applied to moral issues.
Pragmatism is a philosophical school that originated in the US and has since become influential worldwide. Its founder was Peirce, who argued that all knowledge is based on experience and empiricism. This means that truth is not found in a transcendent realm, but rather in the world around us. His followers included John Dewey, George Herbert Mead, and William James. This philosophy emphasizes the link between thought and action, and it has been adapted by many applied fields, including public administration, education, leadership studies, politics, and international relations.
One major problem with pragmatism is that it is not as objective as other philosophical approaches, such as realism and idealism. For example, a statement may be true in a practical sense, but it may not be true from an objective viewpoint. For example, saying that your prayer was heard is a truth from the perspective of your soul, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it has any effect on reality.
Another problem with pragmatism is that in some cases, it can be used as a tool for discrimination and racism. For example, the statement that Africans are not human in the same way as Europeans worked well for slave owners, but it does not work for blacks. A third problem with pragmatism is that sometimes it can be used as an excuse for unethical behavior. For example, a person might justify bribing a police officer by saying that it was pragmatic because the bribe helped them avoid jail time.
Pragmatism is a useful philosophy when applied to the real world, but it can be dangerous when applied to moral issues or as an explanation for unethical behavior. The first and second flaws are relatively easy to see, but the third is more subtle. Most people immediately recognize that pragmatism completely collapses when it is applied to ethical and moral issues, but they are not as aware of the problems with the third flaw.