Pragmatics and Semantics
Many contemporary philosophical approaches are based on semantics. For instance, Brandom focuses on linguistic meaning (albeit from a pragmatist perspective).
Others choose an approach that is more holistic to pragmatics, such as relevance theory, which seeks to determine how an utterance is perceived by the person listening. This method tends to overlook other aspects of pragmatics like epistemic discussions on truth.
What is pragmatism, exactly?
Pragmatism is a philosophical perspective that offers an alternative to continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. Charles Sanders Peirce conceived the concept, and William James extended it. Later, Josiah Royce developed the philosophy. It was influential in areas of inquiry ranging from theology to philosophy of science, but also found its place in ethics as well as philosophy of language, aesthetics and social theory. The pragmatist tradition continues develop.
The pragmatic principle is at the heart of classical pragmatics. It is a principle that clarifies the meaning of hypotheses through their 'practical implications', or their implications for the experience of particular situations. This is the basis for an epistemological viewpoint that is a form 'inquiry epistemology based on inquiry' and an anti Cartesian explanation of the norms governing inquiry. The earliest pragmatists, however were largely divided on the issue of whether pragmatism ought to think of itself as a scientific philosophy that is based on a monism regarding truth (following Peirce), or a broad-based alethic pluralism (James and Dewey).
One of the major concerns for philosophers of the pragmatist tradition is how to understand knowledge. Rorty is a pragmatist who is skeptical of notions of knowledge built on "immediate experiences". Others, such as Peirce and James are skeptical of the theory of correspondence that claims to be true which holds that true beliefs are those that reflect reality in a 'correct' way.
Other issues in pragmatism include the relationship between belief and reality and the nature of human rationality, the role of values and virtues, and the meaning of life. Pragmatists also developed a variety of methods and ideas, including those in semiotics and philosophy of language. They also study areas like philosophy of religion, philosophy and science, ethics and theology. Some, such as Peirce and Royce, are epistemological relativists, while others believe that such relativism is seriously misguided. The latter half of the 20th century saw an increase in interest in classical pragmatics. This led to a number new developments. This includes a "near-side" pragmatics that is focused on the resolution of ambiguity indexicals, demonstratives, and anaphors, as well as an "far-side" pragmatics that looks at the semantics in discourses.
What is the connection between what is said and what happens?
Semantics and Pragmatics are often seen as being on opposite ends of the continuum with semantics on the close side and pragmatics on the other. Carston, for instance, claims that modern pragmatics follows at least three main lines: those who view it as a philosophy in the vein of Grice as well as those who are focused on its interaction with grammar and those who are concerned with the meaning of utterances. Near-side pragmatics is thought to include issues like resolution of ambiguity and vagueness, reference to proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, anaphors and presupposition. It is also believed to encompass problems that require definite descriptions.
What is the connection between semantics and pragmatics?
The study of pragmatics is the study and application of meanings in language within a context. It is an aspect of linguistics that looks at the way people use words to convey different meanings. It is often contrasted to semantics, which examines the literal meaning of words within a sentence or chunk of conversation.
The relationship between pragmatics, semantics and their interrelationship is complicated. The primary difference is that pragmatics takes into account other factors than the literal meaning of words, such as the intended meaning and the context in which the utterance was said. This lets a more naive understanding to be formed of the meaning of a phrase. Semantics also concentrates on the relationship between words, whereas pragmatics focuses more on the relationship between interlocutors and their contextual features.
In recent years the neopragmatism movement has been focusing heavily on the philosophy of language and metaphilosophy. This has largely left behind the metaphysics of classical pragmatism as well as value theory. However, some neopragmatists have been trying to create an ethics that draws from classical pragmatism's ideas of pragmatics and experiences.
Classical pragmatism was first created by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. Both were influential thinkers who wrote many books. Their works are still widely considered today.
While pragmatism may be a viable alternative to the dominant analytic and continental philosophical traditions however, it does not come without its critics. Some philosophers, like have claimed that deconstructionism isn't a truly new philosophical approach and that pragmatism simply represents a form.
In addition to these critics, the pragmatism of the past was challenged by scientific and technical developments. For example, pragmatists have struggled to reconcile their opinions on science with the evolution of evolutionary theory, which was developed by a non-pragmatist, Richard Dawkins.
Despite these difficulties, pragmatic approach continues to grow in popularity around the world. It is a third option to continental and pragmatickr analytic philosophy traditions, and it has a variety of practical application. It is a growing field of study. Numerous schools of thought have emerged and incorporated elements of pragmatism in their own philosophical frameworks. There are many resources to help you understand more about pragmatism, and how to apply it to your daily life.