Pragmatic Genuine Philosophy
Pragmatism is a philosophical system that focuses on the experience and context. It may not have a clear ethical framework or fundamental principles. This could result in an absence of idealistic ambitions and transformative change.
In contrast to deflationary theories about truth and pragmatic theories of truth do not reject the notion that statements correlate to states of affairs. They simply elucidate the role that truth plays in our daily tasks.
Definition
The word pragmatic is used to refer to people or things that are practical, logical and sensible. It is often contrasted with idealistic which refers to an individual or idea that is based on ideals or high principles. When making decisions, a pragmatic person is aware of the world and the circumstances. They concentrate on what is achievable and realistically feasible rather than trying to achieve the ideal course of action.
Pragmatism is a new philosophical movement that stresses the importance of practical implications in determining truth, meaning, or value. It is an alternative in contrast to the dominant analytical and continental traditions. It was established by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James with Josiah Royce as its founding fathers, pragmatism evolved into two streams of thought one of which is akin to relativism and the second toward realist thought.
The nature of truth is an important issue in the philosophy of pragmatism. Many pragmatists acknowledge that truth is a valuable concept however, they disagree on the definition or how it is applied in practice. One method that is inspired by Peirce and James, is focused on the ways in which people tackle questions and make assertions. It prioritizes the speech-act and justification projects of language-users when determining whether truth is a fact. Read Even more , which was influenced by Rorty's followers, focuses more on the mundane functions of truth, including its ability to generalize, recommend and caution and is less concerned with a complex theory of truth.
This neopragmatic interpretation of truth has two flaws. It is the first to flirt with relativism. Truth is a concept with such a rich and long-standing tradition that it's unlikely its meaning could be reduced to everyday applications as pragmatists do. In addition, pragmatism seems to dismiss the existence of truth in its metaphysical form. This is reflected in the fact that pragmatists, such as Brandom (who is owed an obligation to Peirce and James) are generally absent from metaphysics-related questions in Dewey's vast writings, whereas his works have just one reference to the issue of truth.
Purpose
Pragmatism is a philosophy that aims to provide an alternative to the analytic and continental traditions of philosophy. The first generation of pragmatists was founded by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James together as well as their Harvard colleague Josiah Royce (1855-1916). The classical pragmatists were focused on the theory of inquiry as well as the nature of truth. Their influence was felt by many influential American thinkers, including John Dewey (1860-1952), who applied their ideas to education and social improvement in other dimensions. Jane Addams (1860-1935) was the social work pioneer who created social work also gained from this influence.
More recently a new generation of philosophers have given pragmatism a larger platform to discuss. Although they differ from classical pragmatists, many of the neo-pragmatists claim to be part of the same tradition. Their main model is Robert Brandom, whose work is focused on semantics and the philosophy of language but also draws upon the philosophy of Peirce and James.
One of the major distinctions between the classical pragmatists and the neo-pragmatists is their understanding of what it means 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. Neo-pragmatists, on the other hand, concentrate on the concept of 'ideal warranted assertion, which states that an idea is genuinely true if the claim made about it can be justified in a certain way to a particular audience.
There are however some issues with this theory. It is often accused of being used to support unfounded and ridiculous ideas. The gremlin hypothesis is a good illustration: It's a good concept that can be applied in real life but is unfounded and probably absurd. This isn't a huge problem however, it does point out one of the main flaws of pragmatism: it can be used to justify almost anything, and this includes many absurd ideas.
Significance
When making decisions, pragmatic means considering the real world and its surroundings. It is also used to refer to a philosophical perspective that emphasizes the practical implications in determining the meaning, truth or values. William James (1842-1910) first used the term pragmatism to describe this perspective in a speech at the University of California, Berkeley. James claimed he invented the term with his mentor and colleague Charles Sanders Peirce, but the pragmatist perspective soon gained its own fame.
The pragmatists resisted the sharp dichotomies of analytic philosophy such as fact and value thoughts and experiences mind and body synthetic and analytic and the list goes on. They also rejected the idea that truth was something that was fixed or objective, instead treating it as a dynamic socially-determined notion.
Classical pragmatics primarily focused on the theory of inquiry, meaning, and the nature of truth however James put these concepts to work exploring truth in religion. John Dewey (1859-1952) was an influential figure on a second generation of pragmatists who applied the approach to politics, education and other aspects of social improvement.
In recent decades, the Neopragmatists have tried to put the concept of pragmatism within a larger Western philosophical framework. They have traced the commonalities between Peirce's ideas and those of Kant and other idealists of the 19th century and the new science of evolution theory. They also have sought to understand the significance of truth in a traditional epistemology that is a posteriori and to create a pragmatic metaphilosophy which includes an understanding of language, meaning and the nature of knowledge.
Yet, pragmatism continues to develop, and the a posteriori epistemology it developed is still regarded as a significant departure from more traditional approaches. The people who defend it have had to face a myriad of objections that are as old as the pragmatic theory itself, but which have gained more attention in recent years. One of them is the notion that pragmatism is ineffective when applied to moral questions, and that its claim "what works" is nothing more than a realism with an unpolished appearance.
Methods
The epistemological method of Peirce included a pragmatic explanation. Peirce saw it as an opportunity to discredit false metaphysical notions, such as the Catholic understanding transubstantiation and Cartesian certainty seeking strategies in epistemology.
For many modern pragmatists, the Pragmatic Maxim is all that one can reasonably expect from a theory of truth. They tend to avoid deflationist theories of truth which require verification in order to be valid. They advocate a different approach they call "pragmatic explanation". This is the process of explaining how a concept can be used in the real world and identifying the conditions that must be met to determine whether the concept is truthful.
It is important to remember that this approach may still be viewed as a type of relativism, and indeed is often criticised for doing so. However, it is less extreme than the deflationist alternatives and therefore is a good method of overcoming some of the issues with relativism theories of truth.
In the wake of this, a number of liberatory philosophical projects, such as those associated to eco-philosophy and feminism, Native American philosophy, and Latin American philosophy, look for guidance in the pragmatist traditions. Quine is one example. He is an analytical philosopher who has taken on the pragmatist tradition in a way Dewey could not.
It is important to acknowledge that pragmatism, though rich in the past, has a few serious flaws. In particular, pragmatism fails to provide any meaningful test of truth, and it fails when applied to moral issues.
A few of the most influential pragmatists, including Quine and Wilfrid Sellars, also criticized the philosophy. Yet, it has been reclaimed from obscurity by a wide range of philosophers, such as Richard Rorty, Cornel West and Robert Brandom. Although these philosophers aren't traditional pragmatists, they owe a great deal to the pragmatism philosophy and draw inspiration from the work of Peirce, James and Wittgenstein in their writings. Their works are worth reading for those who are interested in this philosophy movement.