Pragmatic Genuine Philosophy
Pragmatism is a philosophy that emphasizes experience and context. It might not have a clear set of fundamental principles or a cohesive ethical framework. This could result in a lack of idealistic aspirations or transformative changes.
In contrast to deflationary theories, pragmatic theories do not deny the notion that statements are connected to actual states of affairs. They merely define the role that truth plays in the practical world.
Definition
Pragmatic is a term used to describe things or people who are practical, logical, and sensible. It is often contrasted with idealistic, which refers to a person or concept that is based on ideals or principles of high quality. A person who is pragmatic considers the actual world situations and circumstances when making decisions, focusing on what is realistically achieved as opposed to trying to achieve the best possible outcome.
Pragmatism, a brand new philosophical movement, focuses on the importance that practical consequences have in determining significance, truth or value. It is a third alternative to the dominant analytic and continental traditions of philosophy. It was established by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James with Josiah Royce as its founders, pragmatism developed into two distinct streams that tended towards relativism, and the other toward realism.
The nature of truth is an important issue in pragmatism. While many pragmatists agree that truth is a crucial concept, they differ on what it means and how it is used in practice. One approach that is that is influenced by Peirce and James, concentrates on the ways in which people tackle issues and make assertions. It also prioritizes the speech-act and justification projects of language-users in determining whether something is true. Another method that is inspired by Rorty and his followers, concentrates on the more mundane aspects of truth--the way it serves to generalize, recommend and warn--and is not concerned with a full-fledged theory of truth.
The main flaw of this neo-pragmatic view of truth is that it stray with relativism, as the concept of "truth" is a concept with been a part of a long and long-standing history that it appears unlikely that it could be reduced to the nebulous uses to which pragmatists assign it. In addition, pragmatism seems to reject the existence of truth in its metaphysical aspect. This is evident in the fact that pragmatists, such as Brandom (who is owed a debt to Peirce and James) are mostly silent on questions of metaphysics and Dewey's lengthy writings have just one reference to the question of truth.
Purpose
Pragmatism seeks to offer an alternative to the continental and analytic traditions of philosophy. Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and their Harvard colleague Josiah Royce (1860-1916) were the first to initiate its first generation. The classical pragmatists were adamant about the importance of inquiry and meaning and the nature of truth. Their influence was felt by many influential American thinkers including John Dewey (1859-1952), who applied their ideas to education as well as other aspects of social improvement, and Jane Addams (1860-1935) who established social work.
In recent years the new generation has given pragmatism a wider debate platform. A lot of these neopragmatists are not classical pragmatists however they are 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 inspiration from the philosophy of Peirce, James, and others.
Neopragmatists have a distinct understanding of what it takes 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 focus on the idea of 'ideal warranted assertibility, which states that an idea is true if the claim made about it can be justified in a particular way to a specific group of people.
There are, however, some issues with this perspective. It is often accused of being used to justify illogical and ridiculous ideas. An example of this is the gremlin theory: It is a genuinely useful concept, and it is effective in practice, but it is completely unsubstantiated and likely to be absurd. This isn't a major problem, but it highlights one of the major weaknesses of pragmatism: it can be used as a justification for almost everything.
Significance
Pragmatic refers to the practical aspect of a decision, which is related to the consideration of actual world conditions and circumstances when making decisions. It could also refer to the philosophical position that emphasizes practical considerations in the determining of truth, meaning, or value. William James (1842-1910) first used the term "pragmatism" to describe this viewpoint in a lecture at the University of California, Berkeley. James scrupulously swore that the word had been coined by his friend and mentor Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) however the pragmatist perspective quickly earned a name of its own.
The pragmatists resisted the sharp dichotomies of analytic philosophy, such as mind and body, thought and experience, as well as analytic and synthesthetic. They also rejected the idea that truth was something fixed or objective, and instead viewed it as a dynamic socially-determined notion.
James used these themes to explore the truth of religion. John Dewey (1859-1952) was a major influence on the second generation of pragmatists, who applied the method to politics, education and other aspects of social improvement.
The neo-pragmatists from recent times have attempted to place pragmatism within the larger Western philosophical context, tracing the affinities of Peirce's theories with Kant and other idealists of the 19th century as well as the new science of evolutionary theory. They have also sought to understand the significance of truth in an original epistemology that is a posteriori, and to develop a metaphilosophy that is pragmatic and includes an understanding of meaning, language and the nature of knowledge.
Despite this, pragmatism continues to evolve and the a posteriori method that it has developed is a significant departure from traditional approaches. The pragmatic theory has been criticized for a long time however, in recent years it has been receiving more attention. Some of these include the idea that pragmatism fails when applied to moral issues and that its claim "what works" is nothing more than a realism with an unpolished appearance.
Methods
For Peirce his pragmatic understanding of truth was an essential element of his epistemological plan. Peirce saw it as a means to undermine metaphysical concepts that were false such as the Catholic notion of transubstantiation Cartesian methods of seeking certainty in epistemology and Kant's notion of a 'thing in itself' (Simson 2010).
For many modern pragmatists, the Pragmatic Maxim is all that one can reasonably expect from a theory of truth. They tend to steer clear of deflationist theories of truth that need to be verified to be legitimate. Instead, they advocate an alternative method which they call "pragmatic explication". This is about explaining how a concept is used in the real world and identifying the requirements to be met to accept the concept as truthful.
This approach is often criticized for being a form relativism. It is not as extreme as deflationist alternatives and can be a useful way to get around some of relativist theories of reality's problems.
As 프라그마틱 of this, a lot of liberatory philosophical projects, such as those associated to feminism, eco-philosophy, Native American philosophy, and Latin American philosophy, look for guidance from the pragmatist tradition. Quine for instance, is an philosophical analyticist who has embraced the pragmatist tradition in a way Dewey could not.
It is important to recognize that pragmatism, while rich in history, also has its flaws. Particularly, pragmatism fails to provide any valid test of truth, and it collapses when applied to moral questions.
A few of the most influential pragmaticists, like Quine and Wilfrid Sellars, also criticized the philosophy. However it has been reclaimed from the ashes by a broad range of philosophers, such as Richard Rorty, Cornel West and Robert Brandom. While these philosophers are not classical pragmatists but they do contribute significantly to the philosophy of pragmatism and draw inspiration from the work of Peirce, James and Wittgenstein in their writings. The works of these philosophers are well recommended to anyone interested in this philosophy movement.