pragmatism

We explain what pragmatism in philosophy is, its characteristics and representatives. Also, what does it mean to be pragmatic?

For pragmatism, the value of ideas depends on their practical applicability.

What is pragmatism?

Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition formally created in the United States in the late 19th century, based on the principle that utility, applicability and practicality of an idea, politics or proposition, constitute its greatest merit. In other words, the value of ideas depends on their practical applicability, since they are something similar to action plans.

Pragmatism proposed a philosophy oriented towards the experience and towards the useful. I valued the truth ideas according to their consequences and their possibility of empirical verification. In that sense, he proposed that certain ends justify certain means, especially in politics and politics. Justice: If a decision is successful, then it was a good decision.

The term "pragmatic" has, however, a history long before this school of thought. Its origin is found in the Greek word pragma ("Action" or "fact"), and was used in his writings by the Greek historian Polybius (200-118 BC), to indicate to his readers that his work had a pedagogical purpose.

The creation of the school of pragmatism is attributed to Charles Pierce (1839-1914), whose maxim to describe his way of reasoning was the following: “Consider the practical effects of the objects you conceive. Then, the conception of those effects will be the totality of the conception of those objects ”. Put more simply: the results of what we create are the whole of creation itself.

Characteristics of pragmatism

Pragmatism was characterized by the following:

  • It was born in the late 19th century and was the dominant philosophical trend for much of the 20th century in the United States and elsewhere in the West.
  • He privileged action over doctrine, the experience on the preconceived principles.
  • It was anti-fundamentalist (it did not accept the existence of an ultimate truth), therefore secular (it did not accept religions) and fallible (he considered philosophy tentative and correctable).
  • He set out to redeem the notions of truth, good, and beauty in post-Kantian philosophy. According to them, it did not matter if the knowledge The objective was impossible, as long as the truth could be defined from our limited experience of the real: if it works, it is true.

Representatives of pragmatism

The main representatives of pragmatism were:

  • Charles Pierce (1839-1914). The author of around 80,000 pages on the subjects of his interest and inspiration, he was one of the great American philosophers and scientists of the late 19th century. He is also considered the father of modern semiotics together with Ferdinand de Saussure.
  • William James (1842-1910). American philosopher and psychologist, he was a legendary Harvard University professor and older brother of the famous writer Henry James. He created his own doctrine of thought which he called "empiricism radical ”and was also the founder of the Psychology of religion.
  • John Dewey (1859-1952). He was a psychologist, pedagogue, and philosopher, considered by many to be the most important American thinker of the first half of the 20th century. It is associated with the pedagogy American progressive, as his writings on education they were particularly famous. He also wrote about art, logic, democracy Y ethics. He always promoted the unification between theory and practice, between thought and action.

What does it mean to be pragmatic?

Today the term "pragmatic" and "pragmatism" has a popular meaning not too far from the foundations of this philosophical school. We use them to indicate that a person or a philosophy focuses more on obtaining results than on the details of the procedure itself.

This can be seen as a value, in the sense that a person does not get lost in useless debates, but focuses his efforts on problem solving. On the other hand, it can be seen as something more brutal and unscrupulous, in the sense that, for a person, the end justifies the means.

Political pragmatism

In politics, there are many theories and many principles to abide by, and this debate is constant in most of our countries. societies. When we talk about political pragmatism, we generally mean a position that pays less attention to theories and principles, and focuses on the analysis of results or effects.

A political pragmatist is concerned, in theory, less with the how than with the what, and considers that the only measure to judge the value or truth of any political doctrine is the results that its practical application yields. In other words: for a pragmatist, "what is true is what works", whether in politics or in other fields of life.

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