A person who is pragmatic will be concerned more with what works and results than abstract notions. Basically, you don’t want to be the guy at dinner who is constantly demanding that everyone split the bill exactly evenly and then whining about it when it doesn’t happen. Pragmatic is also a philosophy that promotes compromise, as well as a preference for evidence over beliefs and opinions. Being pragmatic can make you a better decision-maker and help you avoid unrealistic expectations of what life should be like.
A popular definition of pragmatic is that it refers to a system of thought that values practicality. A pragmatic approach is often rooted in a philosophy of pragmatism, which was developed by American philosophers Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. Peirce argued that truth was what worked in practice, while James emphasized that reality is in a constant state of change.
These ideas were first formulated during discussions at a Harvard group known as the Metaphysical Club in the 1870s. The pragmatist school eventually evolved into a third alternative to the analytic and continental philosophical traditions. Its key ideas are now largely taken for granted, but in the early 1900s a second generation turned pragmatism towards politics, education and social reform efforts, under the influence of John Dewey and Jane Addams. The work of a third generation, philosophers such as George Herbert Mead and Josiah Royce, helped to popularise the pragmatic perspective worldwide.
Today, the pragmatic perspective presents a growing challenge to both analytic and continental philosophy worldwide, with vibrant research networks emerging in South America, Scandinavia and more recently central Europe and China. Its key ideas include a rejection of traditional dichotomies such as ‘fact/value’, mind/body, analytic/synthetic and subjective/objective, and the emphasis on the importance of action and experience in constructing a concept of truth.
In a clinical context, pragmatic thinking is based on the principle of “What is best for the patient now?” This means that every treatment plan will be designed based on what is most likely to work and achieve a positive outcome. This is why hypnosis practitioners always assess the individual client before choosing which techniques will be used.
Being pragmatic can also help you to stay flexible by accepting that what used to work may not be effective now, and embracing new ways of doing things. For example, it would be pragmatic to adopt a computer operating system that is more user-friendly and up-to-date, instead of sticking with one that no longer meets your needs. This way, you can keep up with technological changes without being stuck in the past. It’s the same with attitudes to belief: if you find your old beliefs don’t serve you anymore, it’s a good idea to discard them and move on. This is more effective than holding on to ideas that no longer work, which can lead to mental rigidity. This can be very dangerous for your health.