Pragmatic:
A pragmatic person is concerned with the practical realities of situations rather than theories or ideals. For example, if your boss tells you to turn down the air conditioning because it’s too hot, you might say “okay” with a smile because you know it will make him happy. This is called pragmatic reasoning, which is one of the key aspects of the philosophy of pragmatics.
The word pragmatic comes from the Greek pragma, which means “deed; the way someone does something.” Other synonyms for pragmatic include down-to-earth, efficient, hardheaded, and sober.
In philosophical terms, pragmatics is a philosophical approach that examines how people learn and what they do with the knowledge they acquire. It is a branch of philosophy of language and is often combined with philosophy of action or philosophy of mind. It has a strong influence from phenomenology and Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language.
Like phenomenology, it seeks to describe the world as it is experienced by a person in his or her own experience of it. This contrasts with metaphysics, which attempts to define the nature of reality itself.
While pragmatism is often criticized for its lack of a clear ontological position, it does not deny the existence of transcendent realities. In fact, its first proponents Charles Sanders Peirce and William James were both deeply religious and believed in a higher power.
Generally, pragmatic philosophers are critical of absolute idealism and favor an approach to reality that is open to both positive and negative experiences, as well as to possible multiple truths. It is a third option to the analytic and continental (Continental) traditions of philosophy.
It is sometimes called American pragmatism because many of the philosophers associated with it, such as Mead, Dewey, Angell, and Moore, were American. In the United States, it became popular in the mid-1870s as a reaction to the scientific revolution of evolution theory that was then underway.
In addition to its philosophical roots, pragmatism has made contributions to several fields of study, including psychology, logic, sociology, and law. It is also important in the history of education, particularly its emphases on individualization and learning through experience.
The pragmatist approach is often applied to business and the workplace, especially when dealing with complex decisions or a crisis. A leader who is pragmatic is able to keep calm and think logically in a stressful situation. A dogmatic leader is more likely to be swayed by fear or heightened emotions and less able to make a sound decision. This type of leadership is not always effective in times of crisis. Similarly, a pragmatic politician is more likely to be successful in a democracy than a politician who sticks with strict moral beliefs. This is because pragmatic politicians are more able to appeal to the broadest range of voters. They are therefore more likely to be elected. To remain pragmatic, a politician must have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and find new ways to achieve goals.