Pragmatic is an approach to philosophy that emphasises the importance of action in gaining knowledge and understanding the world. It is sometimes associated with radical empiricism, and is considered to be part of the American philosophical tradition. It has been a prominent influence on the social sciences and humanities, and has been adapted by applied fields such as public administration, political science, leadership studies and research methodology.
In the early 20th century, pragmatism was most popularised by philosophers Charles Peirce and John Dewey, who worked extensively in education and authored a number of influential books. This second generation of pragmatists turned wholeheartedly to questions concerning social progress, and became heavily involved in the activism and reforms of the Progressive Era. Dewey thematised democracy philosophically – as more than a system of government, but an ideal of egalitarianism and open communication which could be reached in civil society, the workplace and schools.
This generation of pragmatists also included sociologist George Herbert Mead and anthropologist Mary Parker Follett, who critiqued prevailing individualist ontologies in favour of one which recognises the existence of communities. Their farsightedness has been recognised by many subsequent philosophers, and their work is now often referred to as ‘pragmatic theory’.
Another key figure in the development of pragmatism was the American psychologist and philosopher William James, who developed a pragmatic version of Hegelianism. He argued that truth is not absolute, and that there are degrees of true and false statements, and that the only way to distinguish between them is to apply an experimental method. He used this to test a variety of hypotheses, and demonstrated that some of them were correct, but others were not. In his view, the most useful hypothesis was the one that was verified in an experiment.
Amongst the modern philosophers who have revived and extended pragmatism are Hilary Putnam, who developed a form of pragmatism that is known as ‘cognitive pragmatics’, and John L. Hall, who has extended it to include social and moral issues. Many of the current issues facing humankind can be understood using a pragmatist framework, and a pragmatic perspective can help us to respond appropriately.
Pragmatics has become a broad and diverse field, covering everything from the philosophy of language to the nature of science. Some of the key themes include the importance of establishing a common ground for understanding, the importance of context and the role of inference. Its influence has been felt in a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, history, economics, sociology, law and psychology. It has been a key influence on contemporary discourse ethics and is largely responsible for the development of concepts like’relevance’, which has made its way into the semantics of everyday speech. It is also behind the rise of ‘pragmatics’ as an area of philosophy that is now being studied by a broad range of academics around the world. It is an important and growing field.