Pragmatic is a term that refers to the ways in which we use language to communicate. It’s a concept that is often contrasted with idealism, as people who are pragmatic tend to be more concerned with the practical outcomes of their actions than with adhering strictly to their ideals. In philosophy, pragmatics is the study of meaning in a context-dependent manner. It’s important to understand how pragmatics differs from semantics in order to better grasp the philosophical movement known as pragmatism.
A resurgence of interest in pragmatism has seen several high-profile philosophers exploring and selectively appropriating themes and ideas from the pragmatist tradition, notably Peirce, James, and Dewey. It’s difficult to enumerate the exact features that make up the pragmatist creed; there is no definitive list of articles or essential tenets endorsed by all pragmatists and only pragmatists. However, it is possible to identify some key ideas that have loomed large in the pragmatist oeuvre.
One key point is the re-emphasis on context dependence as the root of semantic meaning. This entails an extension of the traditional definition of semantics to include things such as reference, truth, and grammar in a way that is contextually determined. In addition, a greater emphasis is placed on the role of intention and illocutionary force.
It is this last point that has led to the emergence of pragmatics as an independent discipline in its own right. The earliest work in pragmatics focused on what was actually said in an utterance. This is now referred to as far-side pragmatics, and is the basis of the field as it is generally understood today.
More recently, a number of scholars have looked at the process of interpretation and how it influences meaning. This is now called near-side pragmatics and marks a departure from classical pragmatics, which was only interested in the actual utterance.
Ultimately, the goal of pragmatics is to understand how people communicate in a given context and what the potential for meaning in an utterance is. It’s a concept that is crucial to understanding how people interact with each other. Without it, we could not have the complex communications that we do in society today.
As a philosophical movement, pragmatism is an important one that has influenced not only philosophers but also non-philosophers in fields such as education, sociology, politics, economics, and psychology. In particular, a number of medical and social service professionals have applied the principles of pragmatism to their work. For example, a new diagnosis for disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was created called social communication disorder, which is defined by difficulty communicating verbally or nonverbally in social situations. This reflects the fact that people with this condition need to learn strategies for interacting in everyday life. They need to be able to use their illocutionary force and intention in order to successfully communicate with others. It is this underlying principle that makes up the core of pragmatics in the world of medicine and psychiatry.