Pragmatic is a word that often gets used in a positive way to praise choices or actions that are considered practical and reasonable. It’s also frequently applied to political positions or actions, for example, “We need a pragmatic president who can get things done.”
The word pragmatic comes from the Latin pragma, meaning “practical.” People who are pragmatic think and act in ways that make sense in the real world, as opposed to lofty ideals or unattainable fantasies. Being pragmatic helps individuals set realistic goals that align with their capabilities, which reduces the likelihood of disappointment and frustration. It also promotes healthy relationships by fostering open communication and addressing issues directly instead of avoiding them.
Practicing pragmaticity also improves the efficiency of problem-solving and decision-making by providing a grounded perspective that fosters effectiveness, success, and tangible results. This pragmatic approach to life can help you break free from the urge to overthink and over-plan every aspect of a project, so you can focus on the steps necessary to complete it in a timely manner.
Pragmatism is a philosophical framework that offers a flexible approach to understanding and navigating the world around us. It focuses on the practicality of knowledge, which means that ideas and principles must be weighed against their application in practice to determine if they are useful. This philosophy is rooted in the belief that the only thing we can truly know for certain is what we experience, and even that is always changing.
It also advocates for a pragmatic understanding of truth that recognizes that different vocabularies can have different definitions, depending on their cultural and situational contexts. For example, in the United States, “success” and “failure” have very different meanings. However, these terms are used interchangeably in many other cultures.
Unlike semantics, pragmatics is the contextual meaning of language that takes social, cultural, and situational factors into account. This is what allows us to politely hedge a request, cleverly read between the lines, negotiate turn-taking norms in conversation, and navigate ambiguity in context.
In addition, pragmatics emphasizes the importance of action and the ability to change reality by taking actions that have a significant impact on human beings and the surrounding environment. It is important to note that this does not mean that pragmatism is indifferent to morality and values. In fact, pragmatism argues that these values should inform our decisions and actions.
This pragmatic perspective is valuable in research, especially when evaluating methodologies. For example, in our studies of two international development programmes, a pragmatist approach to research helped guide us towards methodologies that went beyond the limited official documentation, allowing for more meaningful engagement with staff at the implementation level. This was crucial for enabling us to identify and understand the complexities of programme activities. This was a key step in building sustainable and meaningful programs that would contribute to positive impact for communities.