Pragmatic is a term used to describe someone who is practical and makes decisions based on real-world circumstances. A pragmatic person can see things from multiple perspectives and consider all options, balancing vision with reality. This is often a trait of good leaders. Pragmatism is also a philosophy that focuses on the use of language and how people communicate.
The term pragmatism was first introduced by the American philosopher William James in 1898. He was influenced by Charles Sanders Peirce, who developed the ideas of pragmatism around 1870 and published them in several books. The pragmatist view holds that reality is in a constant state of becoming, and that actions are the way to change existence.
For a long time, pragmatism was considered to be an alternative to analytic philosophy, which was the dominant approach in Anglo-American philosophy departments. A number of liberatory philosophical projects, such as feminism (Seigfried 1996), ecology (Alexander 2013), Native American philosophy (Pratt 2002) and Latin American philosophy (Pappas 1998), look to the pragmatist tradition as their philosophical home.
Pragmatism can be described as a “third alternative” to the analytic and continental philosophical traditions. It combines elements of both analytic and continental philosophy, and is particularly attractive to researchers in the social sciences and humanities because it offers a framework that enables the inclusion of qualitative data in research designs, including mixed methods and multimethod research.
It is a theory of knowledge that allows for the use of all appropriate research methods, based on the premise that knowledge is acquired through experience, and that any research design will yield useful information when it addresses a specific problem in the real world. It also enables the inclusion of multiple data sources and approaches, which is particularly appropriate for POR, where the application of findings to clinical practice or policy development is a critical consideration.
In addition, pragmatism is an epistemologically neutral position that does not place any importance on ontological or epistemological consistency when combining different research methods. This allows researchers to make judicious use of various methodologies and data sources without worrying about the validity of the research design.
One of the main principles of pragmatism is the Gricean Maxims, which are four general pragmatic rules that seem to hold true in most situations and languages. They are: Be logical, be clear, be concise, and be relevant. For example, when trying to make a point in conversation, it is best to keep your comments relevant to the topic at hand. Likewise, it is best to be logical in your arguments by clearly stating your claims and reasons. This is the most effective way to avoid ambiguity and confusion in conversations, and in writing as well.