Pragmatics and Semantics
A lot of contemporary philosophical theories focus on semantics. For example, Brandom focuses on linguistic meaning (albeit from a pragmatic perspective).
Others take a more holistic approach to pragmatics, like relevance theory, which aims to study the underlying processes of an utterance by a hearer. This method tends to overlook other aspects of pragmatics like epistemic discussions on truth.
What is pragmatism, exactly?
Pragmatism is a philosophical perspective that provides a different perspective to analytic philosophy and continental 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 profound influence on the areas of inquiry ranging from theology of philosophy to philosophy of science, as well as ethics, politics and philosophy of language. The pragmatist tradition continues to grow.
The pragmatic principle is at the heart of classical pragmatism. It is a rule that clarifies the meaning of hypotheses through their 'practical implications' or pragmatickr their implications for the experiences of particular situations. This is the basis for a distinct epistemological perspective that is a form 'inquiry epistemology' based on inquiry, and an anti Cartesian explanation of the rules that govern inquiry. The early pragmatists were divided on whether pragmatism was a science-based philosophy that was based on an ethos of truth (following Peirce) or a broad alethic pluralitism (James and Dewey).
A central issue for philosophers who are pragmatists is understanding knowledge. Rorty is one pragmatist who is skeptical of notions of knowledge based on 'immediate experiences'. Others, such as Peirce or James are skeptical of the theory of correspondence, which states that the true beliefs are those which accurately represent reality.
Other topics in pragmatism are the relationship between reality and beliefs and the nature of human rationality, the importance of values and virtues, and the meaning of life. Pragmatists have also come up with a wide variety of ideas and methods in areas such as semiotics philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, ethics, and theology. Some, such as Peirce and Royce, are epistemological relativists. However, others believe that such relativism is seriously misguided. A renewed the interest in classical pragmatism in the latter part of the 20th century led to a variety of new developments, including a 'near-side' pragmatics that is concerned with the resolution of confusion and ambiguity, the reference 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 can be viewed as being on opposite ends of the continuum. On the side that is near, semantics are considered and pragmatics is situated on the other side. Carston, for instance, claims that modern pragmatics follows at least three principal lines: those who see it as a philosophy in the tradition of Grice as well as those who are focused on its interaction with grammar and those who are concerned about the meaning of utterances. Near-side pragmatics encompasses issues like the resolution of unclearness as well as the use of proper names indexicals, demonstratives, anaphoras, and presupposition. It is also believed to cover problems that require definite descriptions.
What is the relation between semantics and pragmatics?
Pragmatics is the study of meaning within language placed within context. It is a part of linguistics that studies the ways people use language to convey different meanings. It is often compared with semantics, which examines the literal meaning of words in a sentence or chunk of conversation.
The relationship between pragmatics, semantics and their interrelationship is a complex one. The most important distinction is that pragmatics considers other factors than the literal meaning of words, like the intended meaning as well as the context in which an utterance was spoken. This gives a more naive understanding of the meaning of an utterance. Semantics is also restricted to the relationship between words, while pragmatics is more concerned with the interactions between interlocutors (people engaged in an exchange) and their contextual aspects.
In recent years the neopragmatism movement been heavily focused on metaphilosophy and philosophy of language. It has largely abandoned the metaphysics and value theories of classical pragmatism. Some neopragmatists, however, are working on the development of a metaethics based on the principles of classical pragmatism on practicality and experience.
Charles Sanders Peirce, William James and others were the first to introduce classical pragmatism. Both were influential thinkers who wrote a number books. Their works are still widely thought of to this day.
While pragmatism may be a viable alternative to the mainstream philosophical traditions of continental and analytic, it is not without its critics. Some philosophers, for example, have claimed that deconstructionism isn't a truly new philosophical approach and that pragmatism is simply an expression.
In addition to these critics, the pragmatism of the past was challenged by technological and scientific advances. For instance, pragmatists struggled to reconcile their views on science with the development of evolutionary theory, which was developed by a non-pragmatist Richard Dawkins.
Despite these challenges the pragmatism movement continues to grow in popularity across the globe. It is a significant third option in comparison to the continental and analytic philosophical traditions and has many practical applications. It is a rapidly growing field of study. Numerous schools of thought have emerged and incorporated pragmatism elements in their own philosophy. There are numerous resources available to help you understand more about pragmatism, and how to apply it to your daily life.