Pragmatic is an American philosophy that emerged in the late nineteenth century and presents a third alternative to the analytical and continental philosophical traditions. The founders of pragmatism were Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) and William James (1842-1910), as well as their Harvard colleague Josiah Royce (1855-1916). Although Royce was initially allied with absolute idealism, he eventually came to accept and endorse Peirce’s pragmatic ideas.
The primary philosophy of pragmatism is that truth exists only in the usefulness of a statement or an action, and the best way to determine if something is true is to see if it works in practice. A pragmatist would be willing to compromise on a truth, or even hold two truths at once, as long as one of those truths is more useful than the other. The pragmatist would believe that the truth is what works and is not afraid to change beliefs or values if they prove to be harmful in any way.
A pragmatist is not concerned about the fact that some things may not be proven to be true, but rather only that it works in practice and can be used to make a difference in people’s lives. For example, a pragmatist would not be as concerned about whether capitalism or socialism is better than the fact that both systems are used to help the poor.
While a pragmatist would be happy to have the benefits of both capitalism and socialism, he or she would still prefer to use capitalism as it provides more jobs, which means that more money is available to put into other programs, such as socialism.
Being pragmatic doesn’t mean that a person is amoral or immoral, though. For example, killing a creditor to avoid paying a debt is not pragmatic because it results in a death and deprives the community of a productive member. Likewise, the act of murdering a family member for financial reasons is not pragmatic because it results in an unnecessary loss of life and can affect other members of the community.
Another aspect of pragmatism is being open to new ideas. A pragmatist is not worried about believing old traditions or being shaken if those beliefs prove to be false. This is because a pragmatist knows that if an old belief doesn’t work in practice, it’s time to move on to something else.
In a language classroom, teachers can teach pragmatics through activities that involve asking and responding to requests. For example, a teacher might create a scenario where students decide how they would make a request and then discuss the different ways that requests can be made. The lesson might include the home and target cultures as well as other cultures, depending on what students need.
Pragmatism is a philosophy that can challenge a student’s views of the world and how they should be viewed. It is a philosophy that requires flexibility and the willingness to let go of old beliefs when they don’t work.