Many of the current pragmatics theories based on philosophy focus on semantics. For example, Brandom focuses on linguistic meaning (albeit from a pragmatic perspective).
Others take an approach that is more holistic to pragmatics, such as relevance theory, which aims to understand how an expression is understood by the hearer. But this approach tends to ignore other aspects of pragmatism, such as epistemic debates on truth.What exactly is pragmatism?
Pragmatism is a viable alternative to continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. It was initiated by Charles Sanders Peirce and extended by his colleague and friend William James, and later developed by Josiah Royce. It had a profound influence on areas of inquiry from philosophy of theology to philosophy of science, but also on ethics, politics and philosophy of language. The pragmatist tradition continues develop.
The pragmatic principle is at the heart of classical pragmatism. It is a principle that clarifies the meaning of hypotheses via their 'practical implications', or their implications for the experiences of specific situations. This creates an epistemological perspective that is a kind of 'inquiry-based epistemology', and an anti-Cartesian explication of the rules that govern inquiry. Early pragmatists were divided over whether pragmatism was a science-based philosophy that embraced the view that truth is a monism (following Peirce) or a broad alethic pluralitism (James & Dewey).
A major concern for philosophers of the pragmatist tradition is understanding what knowledge actually is. Rorty is a pragmatist who is skeptical of any notions of knowledge that are based on 'immediate experiences'. Others, like Peirce and James, are sceptical of the theory of correspondence that claims to be true, according to which true beliefs are those that represent reality 'correctly'.
Pragmatism also focuses on the relationship between beliefs, reality, and human rationality. It also focuses on the role of values and virtues, and the meaning and purpose of existence. Pragmatists have also developed a broad range of theories and methods in fields like semiotics and philosophy of language, the philosophy of religion as well as ethics, philosophy of science and theology. Some, such as Peirce and Royce, are epistemological relativists. However, others argue that such relativity is a serious misguided idea. A resurgence of the interest in classical pragmatism in the latter half of the 20th century has led to a variety of new developments, such as a 'near-side' pragmatics that is concerned with the resolution of ambiguity and vagueness as well as the use of proper names, indexicals, demonstratives, as well as anaphors, as well as a 'far-side' pragmatics that looks at the semantics of discourses.
What is the relation between what is said and what happens?
Semantics and Pragmatics can be seen as being on opposite ends of the continuum. On the near side, semantics is viewed and pragmatics is located on the far side. Carston for instance asserts that there are at most three general lines of contemporary pragmatics that are: those who see it as a philosophy based on the lines of Grice; those who focus on its interaction with grammar; and those who are concerned with the interpretation of utterances. Near-side pragmatics encompasses questions like the resolution of ambiguity as well as the use of proper names indexicals, demonstratives presupposition, and anaphoras. It is also believed to encompass issues that involve definite descriptions.
What is the relation between pragmatics and semantics?
The study of pragmatics is the study and application of meanings in the language of a particular context. It is a part of linguistics which studies the way that people use language to convey different meanings. It is often compared to semantics, which studies the literal meaning of words within sentences or in larger chunks of speech.
The relationship between semantics and pragmatism is not simple. The main distinction is that pragmatics considers other factors than the literal meaning of words, like the intended meaning and the context in which the word was said. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of the meaning of an utterance. Semantics also considers the relationship between words whereas pragmatics is more focused on the relationships between the interlocutors as well as their context.
In recent years Neopragmatism has primarily focused on the philosophy of metaphilosophy and language. It has left behind the value theories and metaphysics of classical pragmatism. Neopragmatists are working on developing a metaethics based on the ideas of classical pragmatism about pragmatics and experience.
Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and others were among the first to introduce classical pragmatism. Both were influential thinkers who wrote many books. Their writings are well-read today.
While pragmatism is an alternative to the mainstream philosophical traditions of continental and analytic but it's not without its critics. For pragmatickr instance some philosophers have argued that pragmatism is simply a form of deconstructionism and is not really an innovative philosophical method.
In addition to these criticisms, pragmatism itself has been challenged by scientific and technological developments. For instance, pragmatists have struggled to reconcile their beliefs on science and the evolution theory, which was developed Richard Dawkins, a non-pragmatist.
Despite these challenges, pragmatic approach continues to grow in popularity around the world. It is a third alternative to continental and analytic philosophy traditions, and has many practical application. It is a growing field of inquiry. Many schools of thought have emerged and incorporated aspects of pragmatism within their own philosophy. If you are interested in learning more about pragmatism or using it in your daily life, there are plenty of resources available.
