Pragmatic is a philosophy that emphasizes the practical side of life and is often viewed as a form of common sense. People who are pragmatic take into account all aspects of a situation and act accordingly. For example, a person who is pragmatic knows that traffic can be unpredictable and may delay their trip to the airport, so they leave early in order to beat the rush.
Another important feature of pragmatism is its focus on achieving results. A pragmatic person seeks to find solutions that will work and is not afraid to try new things. Using this philosophy of action, it is possible to achieve success and be happy in spite of the obstacles that arise.
The philosophy of pragmatism is often used in the field of education, with many schools employing pragmatic teaching strategies. These include explicit teaching of pragmatics through modeling, role-playing and social stories. In addition, teachers can use technology and digital tools to support the development of pragmatic skills by providing visual supports, collaborative group work and interactive practice opportunities.
There are many modern philosophers who have been described as pragmatic. Some have sought to place pragmatism in a larger Western philosophical context, such as examining Peirce’s significant debt to Kant (Apel 1974, Gava 2014) or connections between pragmatism and 19th century idealism (Margolis 2010). Others have focused on developing pragmatic applications of liberatory social ideals, such as those developed by John Dewey. For instance, a contemporary pragmatist philosopher on race, Cornel West, has advanced a prophetic pragmatism that builds upon both Christian and Marxian thought and highlights the contributions of earlier thinkers like Du Bois and Locke (West 1989).
In the philosophy of language, pragmatics is an approach to linguistic meaning that focuses on how speakers use words and the ways in which they are interpreted by listeners. Pragmatics is a theory of meaning and a method of analysis that aims to capture the dynamic interaction between the words, the listener’s interpretation and the speaker’s intention and actions.
It is also an approach to the nature of truth and knowledge that aims to show that true statements are those that have a meaningful practical consequence. This contrasts with the more common view that a statement is “true” if it corresponds to reality or if it is verifiable.
Pragmatism is sometimes referred to as American pragmatism because many of its proponents were from the United States. However, the pragmatic philosophy has many affinities with continental European thinkers as well. For example, the philosophy of pragmatism has been used by philosophers such as Hegel and Nietzsche to provide a critique of traditional Western philosophies. It has also provided the foundation for a variety of other philosophical movements, including existentialism and objectivism. Pragmatism is also the basis for a broad range of political and ethical positions, such as utilitarianism and rationalism. It has also been applied to the field of psychotherapy, particularly in a pragmatic psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy.