Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism originated in the United States during the latter quarter of the nineteenth century. Although it has significantly influenced non-philosophers notably in the fields of law, education, politics, sociology, psychology, and literary criticism this article deals with it only as a movement within philosophy.

The term “pragmatism” was first used in print to designate a philosophical outlook about a century ago when William James pressed the word into service during an 1898 address entitled “Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results,” delivered at the University of California. James scrupulously swore, however, that the term had been coined almost three decades earlier by his compatriot and friend Peirce. The third major figure in the classical pragmatist pantheon is John Dewey, whose wide-ranging writings had a considerable impact on American intellectual life for a half-century. After Dewey, however, pragmatism lost much of its momentum.

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in pragmatism, with several high-profile philosophers exploring and selectively appropriating themes and ideas embedded in the rich tradition of Peirce, James, and Dewey. While the best-known and most controversial of these so-called “neo-pragmatists” is Richard Rorty, the following contemporary philosophers are often considered to be pragmatists: Hilary Putnam,Nicholas Rescher, Jürgen Habermas, Susan Haack, Robert Brandom, and Cornel West.

The article’s first section contains an outline of the history of pragmatism; the second, a selective survey of themes and theses of the pragmatists.