Pragmatic is a philosophical tradition that views language and thought as tools for prediction, problem solving, and action. It argues that most philosophical topics-like the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, and belief-are best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes.
Pragmatism is often paired with skepticism. Skepticism is a method of inquiry that attempts to disprove beliefs by raising questions about them, such as whether they are valid or not. This is a common approach in science, as scientists seek to question all hypotheses to verify the accuracy of their work. It can also be applied to beliefs in philosophy, though it is not the same as philosophical skepticism, which is more concerned about a worldview than just specific facts or theories.
Unlike Idealists, pragmatists are more interested in the results of actions than in their theoretical underpinnings. They tend to prioritize the short-term, but they also can benefit from taking a step back and reflecting on bigger ideas. Pragmatists don’t need to be certain that their knowledge is 100% accurate, and they may even choose to take the position that most things are actually only partially true. For example, if you are fairly sure that twice two is four but are not able to prove it to be absolutely true, you can still consider it useful to know this fact. This is a pragmatic attitude that allows a person to get more done in less time with less effort than someone who wants to be sure they are absolutely correct all the time.
A large part of pragmatic philosophy revolves around the idea that different contexts will influence the meaning of a given word or phrase. Pragmatics is often categorized into different schools based on how they address this concept. For example, some school of pragmatics focuses on the contextual factors that influence the semantics (or conventional or literal meaning) of an utterance while others focus on the contextual factors that influence how a word or phrase is used.
Another important aspect of pragmatic philosophy is its close association with Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM is the ability to ascribe mental states to oneself and other people. Pragmatics and ToM are related because both deal with what a person is thinking or feeling in a particular situation.
The philosophy of pragmatism has many variants, but all share the same basic approach. It is sometimes called American pragmatism, since many of its major proponents were Americans. Some of these philosophers are Mead, Peirce, and Dewey. This school of pragmatic philosophy is sometimes considered a form of Objectivist or Positivist philosophy.
A more recent approach to pragmatism is known as Cultural Realism, and it aims to be a more comprehensive philosophy than the classical pragmatism of Mead, Peirce, et al. It combines the best of classical pragmatism with some of the insights of Continental philosophers like Hegel and Husserl. It also offers a reconciliation of anti-skepticism and fallibilism.