Pragmatics is the study of the contextual meaning of language. While semantics deals with the conventional or literal significance of words, sentences and utterances in general, pragmatics looks beyond this to consider how context, culture, and situation affect a speaker’s intention, their actions, and what they manage to communicate. It is thus a subdiscipline of Philosophy, and also one of the main branches of Linguistics.
There are many different approaches to pragmatics: computational and theoretical; formal and informal; game-theoretic, experimental, clinical and neuropragmatics; intercultural and intralinguistic pragmatics; and so on. However, most contemporary pragmatics share certain general features. For example, they all recognize the centrality of communication and the relevance of context in interpreting utterances. They also agree that a speaker’s intentions are important, but that they must be weighed against the constraints of the environment in which they operate (Gricean maxims).
One of the most basic concepts to understand is the distinction between near-side and far-side pragmatics. The near-side is focused on the nature of the relevant facts in determining what is said, and the far-side is concerned with the consequences of saying something — what speech acts are performed, what implicatures are generated, and so forth. Various theorists have focused on different aspects of utterances, such as ambiguity or indexicality, and there is often a clash between those who prefer an empiricist commitment to experience and those who favor a priori principles that appeal to ratiocination.
Another crucial concept is that of pragmatic truth. While there is an obvious logical connection between truth and the pragmatics of a claim, some philosophers have taken this a step further and proposed that there are pragmatic truths – that is, some claims are more true than others. This is a controversial idea that some people find difficult to accept, especially as it can create schisms in the philosophical community.
Ethical Dilemmas: Pragmatism prioritizes practical results and outcomes, but it can be difficult to determine what’s ethically right or wrong based on this approach. It’s also possible that a purely pragmatic approach overlooks long-term consequences, which can be harmful to society or the environment.
In the end, pragmatics is about navigating life by balancing the various interests and responsibilities we face. The way we go about this is unique to each person, but the general principle is that we prioritize a situation’s positive or negative consequences and make decisions accordingly. For instance, Alice decides to pursue a higher degree by considering the financial implications, her time management skills, and her work-life balance. By taking a pragmatic approach, Alice is able to maximize her opportunities while remaining faithful to her moral values. The result is a happier, more successful career.