Pragmatics and Semantics
Many contemporary philosophical approaches are based on semantics. Brandom, for example is a focus on the meaning of words (albeit from a pragmatic perspective).
Others take a more comprehensive view of pragmatics, such as relevance theory, which attempts to explore the understanding processes involved in an utterance made by a hearer. This view tends to ignore other aspects of pragmatics, like epistemic discussions on truth.
What is the definition of pragmatism?
Pragmatism offers an alternative to continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. Charles Sanders Peirce initiated the concept, and William James extended it. Later, Josiah Royce developed the philosophy. It had a profound effect on the areas of inquiry ranging from theology and philosophy to philosophy of science but also on ethics and politics, as well as the philosophy of language. The pragmatist tradition continues to develop.
The underlying principle of classical pragmatism is the pragmatic maxim, a rule for clarifying the meaning of hypotheses through exploring their 'practical implications' - their implications for the experience of specific circumstances. This is the basis for an epistemological view that is a type of 'inquiry epistemology based on inquiry' and an anti Cartesian explanation of the rules that govern inquiry. Early pragmatists, however, were largely divided on the issue of whether pragmatism can think of itself as a scientific philosophy that focuses on a monism of truth (following Peirce), or a broad-based alethic pluralism (James and Dewey).
One of the major concerns for philosophers who are pragmatists is understanding knowledge. Certain pragmatists like Rorty are likely to be skeptical of knowledge based on a foundation of 'immediate' experiences. Others, like Peirce or James are skeptical of the theory of correspondence, which asserts that the most authentic beliefs are those which accurately represent reality.
Other issues in pragmatism include the relationship between reality and beliefs as well as the nature of human rationality, the significance of virtues and values, and the meaning of life. Pragmatists have also developed a broad range of theories and methods in fields such as semiotics philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, ethics, philosophy of science and theology. Some, such as Peirce and Royce are epistemological relativists. However, others believe that such relativism is seriously misguided. A resurgence of the classical pragmatism movement in the late 20th century has led to a variety of new developments, such as a 'near-side' pragmatics that is concerned with resolution of ambiguity and vagueness as well as the use of proper names, indexicals, demonstratives, and anaphors, and a 'far-side pragmatics that focuses on the semantics of discourses.
What is the relationship between what you say and what you do?
Semantics and Pragmatics are often seen as being at opposite ends of a continuum with semantics on the near side and pragmatics on the other side. Carston for instance argues that contemporary pragmatics has at least three major lines: those who see it as a philosophy in the tradition of Grice, those who focus its interaction with grammar, and those who are concerned with utterance interpretation. Near-side pragmatics covers questions like the resolution of confusion, the use of proper names indexicals, demonstratives presupposition, and anaphoras. It is also believed to encompass some issues involving definite descriptions.
What is the relationship between pragmatics and semantics?
The study of pragmatics is the study and application of meanings in language within a context. It is a subset of linguistics, and examines the way that people use words to convey different meanings. It is often compared to semantics, which examines the literal meaning of words in a sentence or larger chunk of speech.
The relationship between pragmatism, semantics, and their interrelationship is complex. The primary difference is that pragmatics considers other aspects that are not related to the literal meaning of words, like the intended meaning as well as the context in which the word was spoken. This gives a more naive understanding of the meaning of an expression. Semantics also focuses on the relationship between words, whereas pragmatics focuses more on the relationships between the interlocutors as well as their context.
In recent years the neopragmatism movement been heavily focused on metaphilosophy as well as the philosophy of language. It has largely abandoned the value theories and Pragmatickr metaphysics of classical pragmatism. However, some neopragmatists are trying to create a metaethics that draws on classical pragmatism's ideas of pragmatics and experience.
Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and others were the first to introduce classical pragmatism. Both were influential thinkers and authored a number of books. Their work is still highly considered in the present.
Although pragmatism offers an alternative to the analytic and continental philosophical mainstream, it's not without its critics. Some philosophers, for example have said that deconstructionism isn't a truly new philosophical approach and that pragmatism is simply a form.
In addition to these critics the pragmatism of the past was challenged by scientific and technical developments. For instance, pragmatists have struggled to reconcile their opinions on science with the development of evolutionary theory, which was developed by a non-pragmatist Richard Dawkins.
Despite these challenges, pragmatism continues its growth in its popularity throughout the world. It is a third alternative to Continental and analytic philosophical traditions, and it has a variety of practical application. It is a growing field of inquiry that has numerous schools of thought developing and incorporating elements of pragmatism into their own philosophical framework. There are a variety of resources available to help you understand more about pragmatism, and how to use it in your daily life.