Pragmatic is the adjective that describes a person or thing that makes practical decisions based on real world experience and facts rather than idealistic theories that may never be achieved. Pragmatic people are usually more successful in business than those who make a lot of grandiose plans that have a high chance of failing. A pragmatic approach to saving wildlife is also a better strategy than a dogmatic one where the end justifies the means.
Pragmatism was developed by American philosophers James, Peirce, Dewey and others during the mid-to-late 19th century. It is sometimes called American pragmatism because many of the leading proponents were Americans. Dewey was especially influential and he founded the Pragmatic School of thought, which became the most important branch of American pragmatism. The school is still active today.
The central idea of pragmatism is that something is true only insofar as it has practical value and is helpful to us. This is in contrast to realism, which is the belief that there are objective real things that exist independent of our perception of them. Pragmatism is not an anti-realism as some have argued but rather a metaphysics that leaves open the possibility of transcendent reality and spirituality.
Moreover, pragmatists like James and Peirce believed that ideas are instruments of action and planning. This is in contrast to the classical philosophical notion of ideas as replicas of external objects or impressions. Instead, pragmatists viewed ideas as suggestions or anticipations of what we might do or how we might act. Thus, pragmatists often compare ideas to tools, with some being more useful and valuable than others.
In terms of the theory of language, pragmatists emphasized the context in which words are used and focused on speakers’ communicative intentions. This is in contrast to other theories of language that focus on grammar, reference and truth. A classic example is James’ statement that a claim is only true insofar as it has practical value, which is more or less the same as saying that something is only true if it works.
Pragmatism is a broad philosophical tradition that has numerous influences. It is not possible to draw a line that divides pragmatists from non-pragmatists, but it is easy to identify certain themes and theses that have been favored by pragmatists. These include: