Article
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that
considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction,
problem-solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of
thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Pragmatists
contend that most philosophical topics—such as the nature of knowledge,
language, concepts, meaning, belief, and science—are all best viewed in
terms of their practical uses and successes.
Pragmatism began in the United States in the
1870s. Its origins are often attributed to the philosophers Charles
Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. In 1878, Peirce described
it in his pragmatic maxim: "Consider the practical effects of the
objects of your conception. Then, your conception of those effects is
the whole of your conception of the object."