Pragmatic is a philosophical theory that looks beyond literal meaning to focus on implied meanings and context. It is a key to language interaction and how we communicate with one another, determining what people really mean when they use words. It helps us understand the world and the actions that happen within it. Without pragmatics, we would have to explain everything we meant in full; there wouldn’t be any slang and jokes probably wouldn’t be funny.
Think of it like this: Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who was talking about something completely irrelevant to the topic at hand? Maybe they were telling you about their new car or their favorite TV show. To the speaker, it seems innocent enough but to you it seemed rude and a waste of time. Why is this? Well, it’s because they weren’t paying attention to your reaction. They didn’t take the time to look at you, didn’t laugh at your jokes and didn’t stop when you wanted to escape.
This scenario demonstrates the main concept of pragmatics: that all knowledge is interpreted, not objectively true or false but based on how you react to it. You can apply this to your own life when making decisions. Try to stop over-analyzing and make rash assumptions — instead, try to learn how to make pragmatic decisions in small ways first to build up your confidence.
You can start by practicing on less important decisions, such as how to respond to your child’s crying or whether to drive when it’s raining. The more you practice, the better you will become at pragmatic decision-making. Remember that it is not a sign of weakness to be pragmatic, and you shouldn’t be afraid to speak up when you feel like the person you are speaking to doesn’t understand your point of view.
Pragmatism is a philosophy that is alive and well today. Many scholars continue to explore its ideas and place it in a larger Western philosophical context, tracing Peirce’s significant debt to Kant, for example (Gava 2014). But some contemporary philosophers are working to revive the pragmatic tradition by reintroducing its progressive social ideals. One example is Cornel West’s pragmatist political philosophy, which draws on both Christianity and Marxism. In addition, there are numerous other philosophers who have made pragmatist contributions to the field of epistemology and metaphysics, as well as the philosophy of education, morality, psychology and history.