Pragmatic Genuine Philosophy
Pragmatism is a philosophical system that is based on the experience and context. It may not have a clear ethical framework or foundational principles. This can lead to an absence of idealistic ambitions and transformative change.
In contrast to deflationary theories pragmatic theories do not reject the idea that statements are correlated to real-world situations. They simply define the role that truth plays in practical endeavors.
Definition
The word pragmatic is used to describe people or things that are practical, logical and sensible. It is frequently used to distinguish between idealistic, which refers to an idea or person that is based upon high principles or ideals. When making a decision, the pragmatic person considers the real world and the conditions. They focus on what is realistically achievable rather than trying to achieve the ideal path of action.
Pragmatism is an emerging philosophical movement that emphasizes the importance of practical consequences in the determination of truth, meaning or value. It is a third alternative philosophy to the dominant continental and analytical traditions. It was founded by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James with Josiah Royce as its founding fathers, pragmatism grew into two distinct streams, one tending towards relativism, and the other toward the idea of realism.
One of the most important issues in pragmatism is the nature of truth. Many pragmatists recognize that truth is a valuable concept, however, they disagree on the definition or how it functions in the real world. One approach, influenced by Peirce and James, focuses on the ways people tackle questions and make assertions. It prioritizes the speech-act and justification tasks of language-users in determining whether something is true. Another approach that is that is influenced by Rorty and his followers, concentrates on the comparatively simple functions of truth--how it is used to generalize, commend and avert danger. It is also less concerned with a full-fledged theory of truth.
The primary flaw in this neo-pragmatic view of truth is that it stray with relativism since the concept of "truth" is a concept with been a part of a long and long-standing history that it appears unlikely that it can be reduced to the mundane applications that pragmatists assign it. The second flaw is that pragmatism appears to be an approach that rejects the existence of truth, at least in its substantial metaphysical form. This is evident in the fact that pragmatists, such as Brandom (who is owed an obligation to Peirce and James) are largely in silence on metaphysical questions in Dewey's vast writings, whereas his works have just one reference to the issue of truth.
Purpose
Pragmatism aims to provide an alternative to the continental and analytic philosophical traditions. Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and their Harvard colleague Josiah Royce (1860-1916) were the first to start its first generation. These classical pragmatists focused on the theory of inquiry, meaning and the nature of truth. Their influence spread to numerous influential American thinkers, including John Dewey (1860-1952), who applied their theories to education and social improvement in different dimensions. Jane Addams (1860-1935) was the social worker who founded the field also gained from this influence.
In recent years, a new generation has given pragmatism a new forum for discussion. Many of these neopragmatists not traditional pragmatists, but they consider themselves part of the same tradition. Robert Brandom is their main model. His work is centered on semantics and philosophy of language, but draws from the philosophy of Peirce, James, and others.
One of the primary 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 focus instead on the concept of 'ideal justified assertibility', which states that an idea is true if it is justified to a particular audience in a certain manner.
There are, however, some issues with this theory. A common criticism is that it can be used to justify any number of ridiculous and illogical ideas. One example is the gremlin idea it is a useful idea, it works in practice, but it is totally unsubstantiated and most likely untrue. This isn't a huge issue, but it does highlight one of the major problems with pragmatism. It can be used as a reason for nearly anything.
Significance
Pragmatic refers to the practical aspect of a decision, which is related to the consideration of actual situations and conditions when making decisions. It may also refer to the philosophy that focuses on practical considerations in the determining of meaning, truth or value. The term"pragmatism" was first used to describe this view about a century ago, when William James (1842-1910) pressed it into practice in a speech 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), but the pragmatist outlook soon gained a reputation all its own.
The pragmatists resisted the sharp dichotomies in analytic philosophy, such as mind and body, thought and experience, as well as synthesthetic and analytic. They also rebuffed the idea of truth as something fixed or objective, instead describing it as a continuously evolving, socially-determined concept.
Classical pragmatics primarily focused on the theory of inquiry, meaning, and the nature of truth, but James put these ideas to work by exploring the truth of religion. John Dewey (1859-1952) was an important influence on the second generation of pragmatists who applied the approach to education, politics and other aspects of social improvement.
The neo-pragmatists of recent decades have attempted to place pragmatism in the larger Western philosophical context, tracing the affinities of Peirce's ideas with Kant and other 19th century idealists and the emergence of the science of evolutionary theory. They also sought to understand the role of truth in an original a priori epistemology and develop a pragmatic Metaphilosophy that includes views on language, meaning, and the nature and the origin of knowledge.
Despite this, pragmatism continues to evolve and the a posteriori approach that it came up with is distinct from the traditional approaches. The defenders of pragmatism have had to face a myriad of objections that are as old as the pragmatic theory itself, yet have been more prominently discussed in recent years. These include the idea that pragmatism simply implodes when applied to moral issues and its assertion that "what works" is little more than a form of relativism with a less-polished appearance.
Methods
For Peirce, pragmatic elucidation of truth was a key part of his epistemological approach. He saw it as an attempt to debunk false metaphysical concepts like the Catholic understanding of transubstantiation and Cartesian certainty seeking strategies in epistemology.
For many contemporary pragmatists the Pragmatic Maxim is all that one can reasonably expect from an understanding of truth. They generally avoid false theories of truth that require verification to be valid. They advocate a different approach they refer to as "pragmatic explanation". This involves explaining how a concept is used in the real world and identifying the requirements to be met to recognize that concept as true.
It should be noted that this approach could be viewed as a 프라그마틱 코리아 form of relativism, and is often criticized for it. It is less extreme than deflationist alternatives, and is an effective way to get out of some the relativist theories of reality's issues.
In the end, various liberatory philosophical projects - such as those associated with eco-feminism, feminism, Native American philosophy and Latin American philosophy - are now looking to the pragmatist tradition for guidance. Furthermore many philosophers of the analytic tradition (such as Quine) have embraced pragmatism with a degree of enthusiasm that Dewey himself could not muster.
While pragmatism has a rich history, it is important to recognize that there are important flaws in the philosophy. In particular, pragmatism fails to provide any real test of truth, and it fails when it comes to moral questions.
Some of the most prominent pragmaticists, like Quine and Wilfrid Sellars, also criticised the philosophy. Nevertheless it has been brought back from obscurity by a wide range of philosophers, such as Richard Rorty, Cornel West and Robert Brandom. These philosophers, despite not being classical pragmatists are influenced by the philosophy and work of Peirce James and Wittgenstein. Their works are worth reading for anyone interested in this philosophical movement.