Pragmatics and Semantics
Many of the current pragmatics theories based on philosophy focus on semantics. For example, Brandom focuses on linguistic meaning (albeit from a pragmatic viewpoint).
Others take a more holistic perspective on pragmatics, like relevance theory, which aims to study the underlying processes of an utterance by a listener. However, this method tends to neglect other elements of pragmatism like epistemic debates over truth.
What is the definition of pragmatism?
Pragmatism is a viable alternative to continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. It was conceived by Charles Sanders Peirce and expanded by his friend and colleague William James, and later developed by Josiah Royce. It had a significant impact on areas of inquiry that ranged from philosophy of science to theology, but also found a place in ethics and politics, philosophy of language, aesthetics and social theory. The pragmatist tradition continues to grow.
The underlying principle of classical pragmatism is the pragmatic maxim, a principle for defining the meaning of hypotheses through investigating their 'practical consequences that they have for specific circumstances. This leads to an epistemological view that is a form of 'inquiry-based epistemology', and an anti-Cartesian explication of the rules that govern inquiry. The earliest pragmatists, however largely split over the question of whether pragmatism ought to think of itself as a scientific philosophy that adopts a monism about truth (following Peirce), or a broad-based alethic pluralism (James and Dewey).
A major concern for philosophers who are pragmatists is understanding what knowledge actually is. Some pragmatists, such as Rorty are likely to be skeptical of knowledge based on a foundation of 'immediate' experiences. Others, such as Peirce and James, are sceptical of the correspondence theory of truth, according to which true beliefs are those that represent reality 'correctly'.
Other pragmatism-related issues include the relationship between belief and reality as well as the nature of human rationality, the importance of values and virtues, and the significance of life. Pragmatists have also developed a range of theories and methods including those in semiotics and philosophy of language. They also have explored topics like philosophy of religion, philosophy and theology, ethics, and science. Some, such as Peirce or Royce are epistemological relativism, whereas others claim that this relativism is a mistake. A resurgence of the classical pragmatism movement in the latter part of the 20th century resulted in a number of new developments, including a 'near-side' pragmatics that is concerned with resolving confusion and ambiguity as well as the use of proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, as well as anaphors, and a 'far side pragmatics that examines the semantics of discourses.
What is the relation between what you say and what you do?
Semantics and Pragmatics are often thought of as being on opposite ends of the continuum, with semantics on the near side and pragmatics on the other. Carston for instance, asserts that modern pragmatics has at least three principal lines: those who see it as a philosophy in the tradition of Grice and those who concentrate on its interaction with grammar, and those who are concerned with the interpretation of utterances. Near-side pragmatics is believed to encompass issues such as the clarification of ambiguity or vagueness in reference to proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, anaphors, and presupposition. It is also believed to cover some problems that require definite descriptions.
What is the relation between pragmatics and semantics?
Pragmatics is the study of meaning in language placed within context. It is a subset of linguistics and looks at the way people employ words to convey various meanings. It is often compared to semantics, which examines the literal meaning of words in the context of a sentence or a larger portion of discourse.
The relationship between semantics and pragmatism is not simple. The main difference is that pragmatics considers other aspects besides literal meanings of words, such as the intended meaning and context that a statement was made. This gives a more naive understanding of the meaning behind an utterance. Semantics is also limited to the relationship between words, while pragmatics is more concerned with the relationships between interlocutors (people who are in conversations) and their contextual features.
In recent decades Neopragmatism has primarily focused on the philosophy of language and metaphilosophy. This has mostly departed from the metaphysics of classical pragmatism and value theory. However, some neopragmatists are currently working on an ethics of metaphysics based on ideas of classical pragmatism about practicality and experiences.
Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and others were among the first to develop classical pragmatics. Both were influential thinkers who wrote numerous books. Their writings are well-read to this day.
Although pragmatism can be considered an alternative to the traditional analytic and continental philosophical traditions however, it does not come without its critics. For example some philosophers have argued that pragmatism is just an expression of deconstructionism, and is not really an innovative philosophical method.
In addition to these critics pragmatism was challenged by technological and scientific advances. Pragmatists, for example, have struggled with reconciling their views on science and pragmatickr the evolution theory which was conceived by Richard Dawkins, a non-pragmatist.
Despite these challenges, pragmatism is still growing in popularity across the globe. It is a third alternative to Continental and analytic philosophical traditions, and it has a variety of practical applications. It is a growing area of study. Numerous schools of thought have evolved and incorporated elements of pragmatism in their own philosophy. There are many resources to help you understand more about pragmatism and how to apply it to your everyday life.