Pragmatic is an adjective that describes people and solutions that focus on real-world results and effectiveness rather than theoretical ideals or abstract principles. Pragmatic individuals prioritize results and a practical approach to situations, often willing to adapt their perspectives or methods when needed in order to achieve their goals. Pragmatism is a philosophy that emerged in the late nineteenth century and has been adapted by non-philosophers as well, influencing fields such as law, education, psychology, sociology, leadership studies, and conflict resolution.
Dewey is perhaps the most influential figure in classical pragmatism, and his wide-ranging writings made him a major influence for half a century. He, along with William James and Charles Sanders Peirce, emphasized the importance of usage and practical consequences in meaning, and they sought to break away from the traditional transcendental approach of Immanuel Kant and others.
However, the pragmatists soon began to face their biggest challenge yet, from a new generation of philosophically inclined Americans who were more impressed with the self-consciously rigorous import of Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, and the Vienna Circle than with the pragmatists’ grand synoptic vision. With the rise of analytic philosophy, pragmatism as a faction largely faded from prominence.
One of the major controversies surrounding pragmatism revolves around the status of truth. The pragmatists generally agree that a belief is only true when it works to sustain inquiry or action, but the exact role that truth plays in a particular context and the criterion for evaluating the success of a belief are disputed by philosophers of different persuasions.
Another area of pragmatism concerns the nature of language and the role it plays in conveying meaning, and this has given rise to a subfield of philosophy known as semantics. The earliest pragmaticists, such as Peirce and James, focused on the semantics of natural languages, but the concept has expanded to include the study of all types of languages and utterances, including sign systems. The philosophical roots of pragmatics can be traced to the work of semiotician Charles Morris, who proposed dividing the study of signs into three parts: syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
While pragmatism may have lost its prominence as a faction, it has gained traction in applied areas such as public administration,[52] political science,[53] social work,[54] and leadership studies,[55] which have adopted the pragmatist view of the connection between thought and action.[56] The pragmatism of the ages may not be dead after all, and even analytic philosophers like Quine have shown some qualified enthusiasm for the pragmatic legacy, as has Ludwig Wittgenstein. But the pragmatic movement is hardly a party of one, as pragmatists have differed on how to reform or even define major issues, and many have been willing to compromise in the interest of reaching consensus. This article has been excerpted from: Stuhr, J. (Ed) Pragmatism and Classical American Philosophy: Essential Readings and Interpretive Essays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Thayer, H.S. Meaning and Action: A Critical History of Pragmatism. 2nd ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.