When you hear the word pragmatic, you might think of someone who is able to see how different viewpoints could apply to a situation. The word is often contrasted with idealistic people, who may stick to their principles regardless of the circumstances. But there are plenty of situations in which a pragmatic approach is more effective. For example, a lawyer might settle a lawsuit instead of arguing it in court because it would cost more to fight it out in court. A business person might take a pragmatic approach to saving money by hiring cheaper workers rather than trying to raise their salaries.
Pragmatic is a philosophy based on the notion that our understanding of reality is shaped by our experience. It is a theory of knowledge, meaning and language that differs from semantics because it takes social and contextual factors into account.
In its classical forms, pragmatism was largely developed by Peirce and James. Their key ideas emerged from discussions held at a so-called metaphysical club in the 1870s and were first published in their papers from that time. As they became more widely known, these ideas were endorsed by an influential group of philosophers, psychologists and lawyers, who together formed the first pragmatist movement (see Menand 1998).
The philosophies of pragmatism have been widely applied in many areas of thought and practice. It has given rise to a number of distinctive methods of inquiry, and it has been central to the development of social sciences and other disciplines. It has also been the focus of important debates in ethics and politics, as well as philosophically-minded approaches to religion and linguistics.
Its most significant contribution to the field of ethics is probably derived from its concept of communicative action, which provides a framework for a defence of democratic values. This has been taken forward by Jurgen Habermas, a philosopher from the Frankfurt School who has made wide-ranging contributions across 20th century philosophy. His discourse ethics draws on Mead’s pragmatist perspective upon the relations between the self and society, whilst he is sceptical of Peirce’s reliance on an inquiry-based analysis of truth.
Another pragmatist approach to ethics is that of Richard Rorty, who has been particularly influential in contemporary philosophy. In particular, his critique of the foundational assumptions of Enlightenment epistemology – and the apparent failure of the resulting philosophy – has led him to advocate a pragmatist reconstruction of modern philosophy as an emancipatory project for humanity.