Pragmatic is an approach to language, action, and interaction that focuses on context. It is the study of meaning in context and the ways that the meaning of words and sentences can change from one context to another, including ambiguity and implied meanings. Pragmatics is also the study of how people use language to interact with each other, and the underlying social and cultural factors that can influence that usage.
Often, pragmatics is considered to be the sister of semantics, but it goes far beyond the simple literal meaning of words and sentences. It is a form of interpretation that takes social, cultural, and situational factors into account when understanding how language is used. It is what allows us to politely hedge a request, cleverly read between the lines, and navigate ambiguity in conversation.
A person who is pragmatic tends to approach problems in a practical and realistic way. They are willing to compromise and search for creative solutions that will work in the real world, rather than relying on theoretical or idealistic approaches. In addition, pragmatic people are able to see the big picture when it comes to solving a problem but also know when to break down the problem into manageable chunks and take action on a day-to-day basis.
The term pragmatic was first coined in 1870, and pragmatism was developed by Charles Sanders Peirce and his Harvard colleague William James as an alternative to the two dominant philosophic traditions of the time—analytic philosophy and Continental philosophy. Pragmatism has been influential in philosophy, psychology, sociology, law, religion, art, and many other disciplines.
Its key ideas originated in discussions at a so-called ‘Metaphysical Club’ that met in Harvard around 1870, and pragmatism gained popularity as a result of a series of public lectures given by James in 1898. The ‘classical pragmatists’ were Peirce, James, and their colleagues Josiah Royce (1855–1916), who was originally allied with logical positivism but later adopted a more lenient version of pragmatism, and George Herbert Mead (1934), who worked in both anthropology and a variety of other fields with rich pragmatist perspectives.
The ‘pragmatism’ that has come to be associated with James and his followers emphasizes the role of experience in determining what is genuinely true or false, as well as how useful or not a belief is. It also holds that knowledge is incremental, not absolute; a belief is true insofar as it helps us to make progress in the world. As such, it can be changed or even eliminated when it proves no longer to be productive or helpful. In this respect pragmatism is a form of utilitarianism.