Pragmatic Genuine Philosophy
Pragmatism is a philosophical system that is based on experience and context. It may not have an enlightened ethical framework or a set of fundamental principles. This could result in an absence of idealistic ambitions and a shift in direction.
In contrast to deflationary theories, pragmatic theories do not reject the notion that statements are correlated to actual events. They simply elucidate the role that truth plays in everyday endeavors.
Definition
Pragmatic is a word used to describe things or people who are practical, logical and sensible. It is often contrasted with idealistic which refers to a person or idea that is based on high principles or ideals. A person who is pragmatic looks at the real-world circumstances and conditions when making decisions, focusing on what can realistically be accomplished rather than trying to find the most effective possible outcome.
Pragmatism is an emerging philosophical movement that focuses on the importance of practical implications in the determination of meaning, truth or value. It is a third alternative philosophy in contrast to the dominant analytical and continental traditions. Founded by Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and Josiah Royce, pragmatism developed into two distinct streams of thought, one that tended towards relativism, the other to realism.
One of the central issues in pragmatism concerns the nature of truth. While a majority of pragmatists agree that truth is a key concept, they differ on what it means and how it is used in the real world. One approach that is influenced by Peirce and James, focuses on the ways people deal with problems and make assertions and prioritizes the speech-act and justification projects of language-users in determining whether truth is a fact. Another approach that is influenced by Rorty and his followers, focuses on the relatively mundane functions of truth--how it is used to generalize, recommend, and caution--and is less concerned with a complete theory of truth.
The first flaw with this neo-pragmatic method of determining truth is that it stray with relativism, since the concept of "truth" is a concept with been around for so long and has such a long-standing history that it appears unlikely that it could be reduced to the mundane uses to which pragmatists assign it. The second flaw is that pragmatism also appears to be a way of thinking that does not believe in the existence of truth, at least in its metaphysical sense. This is evident in the fact that pragmatists, such as Brandom (who is owed a debt to Peirce and James) are largely absent from metaphysics-related questions, while Dewey's extensive writings have just one reference to the issue of truth.
Purpose
Pragmatism is a philosophy that aims to provide an alternative to the continental and analytic philosophical traditions. The first generation was started by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James together with their Harvard colleague Josiah Royce (1855-1916). The classical pragmatists were focused on theorizing inquiry as well as the nature of truth. Their influence spread through many influential American thinkers like John Dewey (1859-1952), who applied their ideas to education as well as other aspects of social improvement, and Jane Addams (1860-1935) who founded social work.
In recent years, a new generation of philosophers has given pragmatism a larger platform for debate. Although they differ from the classical pragmatists, many of these neo-pragmatists consider themselves to be part of the same tradition. Robert Brandom is their main figure. His work is centered on semantics and the philosophy of language, but also draws from the philosophy of Peirce, James, and others.
Neopragmatists have a distinct perception of what is required for an idea to be true. The classical pragmatists focused on a concept called 'truth-functionality,' which states that an idea is genuinely true if it is useful in practice. The neo-pragmatists instead focus on the idea of 'ideal warranted assertibility' which says that an idea is true if the claim made about it is justified in a particular way to a specific audience.
This view is not without its challenges. One of the most common complaints is that it can be used to justify all sorts of silly and absurd ideas. An example of this is the gremlin theory: It is a genuinely useful idea, it works in the real world, but it is totally unsubstantiated and most likely nonsense. This is not an insurmountable issue however it does highlight one of the biggest flaws in pragmatism that it can be used to justify nearly anything, and that includes a myriad of absurd theories.
Significance
Pragmatic refers to the practical aspect of a decision, which is related to the consideration of actual world conditions and situations when making decisions. It could be used to refer to a philosophical view that stresses practical consequences in the determination of truth, meaning, or value. The term"pragmatism" was first used to describe this view about a century ago, when William James (1842-1910) pressed into service in a speech at the University of California (Berkeley). James claimed to have coined the term with his mentor and friend Charles Sanders Peirce, but the pragmatist viewpoint soon gained its own fame.
The pragmatists opposed the sharp dichotomies of analytic philosophy, such as mind and body, thoughts and experience and synthesthetic and analytic. They also rejected the idea that truth was something that was fixed or objective, and instead viewed it as a continuously evolving socially-determined notion.
James utilized these themes to explore truth in religion. John Dewey (1859-1952) was an influential figure on the second generation of pragmatists who applied this method to education, politics and other aspects of social improvement.
In recent years, the neopragmatists have attempted to place pragmatism within a wider Western philosophical context. They have traced the commonalities between Peirce's views and the ideas of Kant and other idealists of the 19th century, and the emerging theory of evolution. They also sought to clarify truth's role in an original epistemology of a priori and developed a Metaphilosophy of the practical that includes theories of the meaning of language, as well as the nature and the origin of knowledge.
However the fact that pragmatism is still evolving and the a posteriori model that it came up with is an important departure from conventional approaches. The pragmatic theory has been criticized for centuries but in recent times it has attracted more attention. These include the idea that pragmatism collapses when it comes to moral issues, and that its claim that "what works" is little more than relativism with a less-polished appearance.
Methods
For Peirce his pragmatic understanding of truth was a crucial element of his epistemological plan. view site… viewed it as a method to undermine metaphysical concepts that were false such as the Catholic understanding of transubstantiation, Cartesian methods of seeking certainty in epistemology and Kant's notion of a 'thing-inself' (Simson 2010).
The Pragmatic Maxim, according to many modern pragmatists is the best one can hope for from a theory about truth. They tend to avoid deflationist accounts of truth that require verification in order to be valid. Instead they advocate a different method they refer to as 'pragmatic explication'. This involves explaining the way a concept is applied in real life and identifying the requirements that must be met to be able to recognize it as valid.
This method is often criticized as a form of relativism. It is less extreme than deflationist options and can be an effective method of getting past some the problems of relativist theories of reality.
As a result of this, a number of liberatory philosophical initiatives that are related to eco-philosophy and feminism, Native American philosophy, and Latin American philosophy, look for guidance in the pragmatist traditions. Quine for instance, is an analytic philosopher who has embraced the pragmatist tradition in a way Dewey could not.
Although pragmatism has a long history, it is important to note that there are also some fundamental flaws with the philosophy. Particularly, pragmatism fails to provide any valid test of truth, and it is a failure when it comes to moral questions.
Quine, Wilfrid Solars and other pragmatists have also criticized the philosophy. Richard Rorty and Robert Brandom are among philosophers who have brought the philosophy from the insignificance. While these philosophers are not traditional pragmatists, they have a lot in common with the philosophy of pragmatism, and draw inspiration from the work of Peirce, James and Wittgenstein in their writings. Their works are worth reading for anyone interested in this philosophical movement.