Pragmatics and Semantics
Many of the current philosophical approaches to pragmatics focus on semantics. For example, Brandom focuses on linguistic meaning (albeit from a pragmatic viewpoint).
Others take an approach that is more holistic to pragmatics, like relevance theory, pragmatickr which aims to determine how an utterance is understood by the hearer. This view tends to ignore other aspects of pragmatics such as epistemic discussions about truth.
What is the definition of pragmatism?
Pragmatism is a philosophical perspective that provides a different perspective to analytic philosophy and continental philosophy. It was initiated by Charles Sanders Peirce. It was extended by his friend and colleague William James, and later developed by Josiah Royce. It had a profound impact on areas of inquiry from philosophy of theology to philosophy of science, but also on ethics and politics, as well as the philosophy of language. The pragmatist tradition continues develop.
The pragmatic maxim is at the core of classical pragmatics. It is a rule that clarifies the meaning of hypotheses via their 'practical implications' or their implications for the experiences of particular situations. This creates a distinct epistemological perspective that is a form 'inquiry epistemology based on inquiry' and an anti Cartesian explanation of the norms governing inquiry. Early pragmatists were divided over whether pragmatism was a scientific philosophy that embraced a monism regarding truth (following Peirce) or a broad alethic pluralitism (James and Dewey).
A central issue for philosophers of the pragmatist tradition is understanding what knowledge actually is. Rorty is one of the pragmatists who is skeptical of notions of knowledge founded on 'immediate experience'. Others, such as Peirce or James, are skeptical of the correspondence theory, which states that the true beliefs are those that accurately represent reality.
Pragmatism also focuses on the relationship between beliefs, reality, and human rationality. It examines the importance of virtues and values, and the meaning and purpose of our lives. Pragmatists have also come up with a wide range of theories and methods in fields like semiotics philosophy of language, philosophy of religion and ethics, philosophy of science, and theology. Some, such as Peirce or Royce are epistemological relativism. However, others argue that this concept is not true. The 20th century was marked by a revival of interest in classical pragmatics. This led to a myriad of new developments. They include the concept of a "near-side" pragmatics that is concerned with the resolution of ambiguity, indexicals, demonstratives and anaphors as well as an "far-side" pragmatics that analyzes the semantics in discourses.
What is the relation between what is said and what is done?
Semantics and Pragmatics are often seen as being at opposite ends of a continuum, with semantics on the close side and pragmatics on the other side. Carston for instance asserts that modern pragmatics has at least three main lines: those who view it as an approach to philosophy that is reminiscent of Grice, those who focus its interaction with grammar, and those who are concerned with the meaning of utterances. Near-side pragmatics is believed to encompass issues such as the clarification of ambiguity or vagueness, reference to proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, anaphors, and presupposition. It is also believed to encompass some issues involving specific descriptions.
What is the relationship between semantics and pragmatism?
Pragmatics is the study of meaning in language placed within context. It is a subset of linguistics, and examines how people employ words to convey various meanings. It is often contrasted with semantics, which examines the literal meaning of words within a sentence or larger chunk of discourse.
The relationship between pragmatism and semantics is complex. The primary difference is that pragmatics considers other factors than the literal meaning of words, like the intended meaning as well as the context in which the utterance was spoken. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of the meaning of an expression. Semantics is also restricted to the relationship between words, whereas pragmatics is more concerned with the interactions between interlocutors (people who are in an exchange) and their contextual characteristics.
In recent decades, the neopragmatism movement has been heavily focusing on metaphilosophy as well as the philosophy of language. This has largely abandoned the metaphysics of classical pragmatism and value theory. However, a few neopragmatists are trying to create a metaethics that draws on classical pragmatism's ideas of pragmatics and experiences.
Classical pragmatics was first created by Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. Both were influential thinkers who wrote numerous books. Their work is still highly thought of in the present.
While pragmatism may be a viable alternative to the mainstream 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 is simply a form.
In addition to these critics the pragmatism of the past was challenged by technological and scientific advances. For example, pragmatists have struggled to reconcile their views on science with the development of evolutionary theory, which was created by a non-pragmatist, Richard Dawkins.
Despite these difficulties, pragmatism continues to grow in its popularity throughout the world. It is a crucial third option to the analytic and continental philosophical traditions and has many practical applications. It is a rapidly growing area of inquiry that has numerous schools of thought forming and incorporating elements of pragmatism into their own philosophy. Whether you are looking to learn more about pragmatism or incorporating it in your day-to-day life, there are plenty of sources available.