Pragmatic is the study of how people use words and other linguistic expressions in their speech, writing, and gestures. It is a part of the larger field of linguistics, which also includes semantics, syntax, and semiotics.
The word pragmatic is derived from the Latin pragma, meaning “practical, pertinent.” The study of pragmatics differs from other areas of linguistics in that it considers both the literal and nonliteral aspects of language and how those aspects are determined by physical or social context.
It is an important branch of philosophy, examining the relationship between thought and action. Many applied fields like public administration, political science, leadership studies, and research methodology have incorporated pragmatism into their work.
While pragmatism may be viewed in a philosophical context, it is most commonly used in the context of pragmatics. Pragmatics is an area of linguistics that examines how people use words and other linguistic expressions to convey meaning in a particular social or physical environment. It is an important part of the overall field of linguistics, which includes semantics, syntax, and semiotics.
Pragmatism is often seen as an alternative to traditional approaches to philosophy like realism, naturalism, and skepticism. In some ways, pragmatism is an antidote to logical positivism, as it takes a more naturalistic view of reality and rejects the notion that the universe is completely determined by deterministic laws.
A broad movement, pragmatism has its roots in the works of William James and Charles S. Peirce. Both James and Peirce advocated a scientific approach to knowledge wherein truth is determined by real-world effects. In turn, this means that a belief is true only to the extent that it has a practical effect. For example, it is more meaningful to say that prayers are heard than it is to say that they have a spiritual impact.
Modern philosophers who are proponents of pragmatism include John Dewey, G. H. Mead, and William James. The movement is sometimes called American pragmatism because so many of its proponents were Americans.
Although pragmatism is an important philosophical movement, its tenets have been criticized in various ways. For example, some critics argue that pragmatism does not take into account the broader social, cultural, and environmental factors that shape communication and interpretation, which are beyond the control of the individual speaker or listener. Others argue that pragmatism is too flexible and does not have enough grounding in scientific evidence. These criticisms have made pragmatism less popular than it once was. Despite these criticisms, many scholars continue to work in the field of pragmatics. The emergence of a new paradigm, Critical Pragmatism, has brought some of these criticisms to the forefront of scholarly discussion. This movement seeks to combine the best of both the pragmatist and rationalist traditions by considering a variety of different perspectives on pragmatics. In addition, it seeks to incorporate empirical evidence into philosophical discussions of pragmatics, and therefore aims to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on the theory and practice of pragmatics.