A pragmatic person is one who relies in his life on actions and actions that bring specific useful results. The basis of pragmatic thinking was successfully described by W. James. The American psychologist argued that only what is best for us to believe is true. Pragmatists tend to base all their judgments on the basis of their practical experience.
Pragmatist
Who is a pragmatist?
The meaning of the word pragmatism comes from the Greek “pragmatos” (πράγματος). It denotes an action or something. Philosophical teaching (trend) is based on practice as a real truth that carries semantic meaning.
Important! A pragmatist is a materialist who seeks his own benefit in everything. For such people, “bird in hand” is more important than “pie in the sky.” Making vital decisions and setting goals for such a person are carried out only for their own benefit and are based solely on practical “usefulness” or “uselessness”.
A pragmatist's approach to life
What traits do such people have?
The expression “pragmatic personality” applies to people with a practical mindset. Answering the question of what kind of person is pragmatic, we can note the following qualities of an individual:
- searching for a profitable solution when setting goals and defining tasks to achieve them;
- the efforts and time spent must not only pay off, but also bring profit;
- the ability to identify specific life directions (one or several) and move along them without being distracted by emotions, opinions of other people and other “lyrics”.
Moral reward for efforts spent can also be included in this list.
Attention! A pragmatist can take care of loved ones, parents and relatives, but he will always count on an inheritance and reciprocal material or moral support.
An example of an interpersonal relationship between two pragmatic people can be considered a marriage contract. A pragmatic person attaches less importance to feelings than to his practical considerations. This does not mean that he is not capable of love and friendship.
Love and marriage contract
Hence! Pragmatic traits are useful character traits that are worth instilling and developing.
Public opinion varies depending on the situation and government system. Man, as a rational being, is obliged to have strong views on life, independent of the assessment of the people around him.
Signs of a pragmatic person
Here and further we will consider pragmatism in the everyday sense. So, what qualities distinguish practical people:
- Responsibility for results. A pragmatic person clearly knows what steps he needs to take to achieve his goals. He will not wait for the right opportunity, catch fortune by the tail and guess when the Moon will enter the sign of Capricorn.
- Understanding the value of time. For him, time is an important resource that must be treated with respect. Timing, deadlines, planning, time management - for a pragmatic person, all this is a way of life.
- Logical mindset, critical thinking. A person strives to find a clear explanation for everything. Intuition, prophetic dreams, omens and other ephemeral things are outside the field of his attention and interests.
- Firmness of position. A pragmatic person easily says “no” if what is proposed contradicts his internal principles, aspirations, and desires. It is difficult to convince him and impose alien views and values.
- Thoughtfulness of actions. Every act of a pragmatist is a carefully calibrated step towards the realization of his plans. There is no place for spontaneity or instinctiveness in his behavior.
- Resilience to failure. A pragmatic person views every mistake as a lesson and valuable experience, from which one can also learn something useful for oneself. He doesn’t get depressed because of this, doesn’t become limp, and doesn’t start blaming everyone.
- Conservatism and economy. He will always prefer something comfortable, practical and discreet to frilly bright outfits. When purchasing something for your home, think about how useful and durable it is. A pragmatist does not see the point in luxury, but he will gladly furnish the house with technological devices that can save time and effort.
What is pragmatism?
In answering this question, we can consider types of pragmatism. It is distinguished in three areas:
- philosophy;
- religion;
- psychology.
Melancholic - what kind of person, type of temperament?
The philosophical concept of pragmatism was introduced by the American philosopher Charles Peirce at the end of the 19th century. He expressed it in the “maxim” of pragmatism: “in the path of achieving understanding and clarity, one should be guided in one’s thinking only by practical principles.”
Important! This concept is set in contrast to idealistic movements, which, according to Peirce, do not correspond to reality.
Principles of pragmatism
In the field of religion, the pragmatic foundations are laid on the path of reunification with God, through prayer, fasting, various restrictions and other techniques.
Psychologists note the practical steps of a pragmatic person towards the intended goal. Experts distinguish between two pragmatic approaches: useful and useless. They note that a pronounced pragmatic character is not always useful for society, as it can cause discord in traditional ways of life. A very fine psychological line runs in the area of interpersonal relationships. They can collapse when the saying “Friendship is friendship, and service is service” is replaced by the expression “Nothing personal, just business!”
By the way! The fact that only the male part of the population is prone to pragmatism is just a stereotype. A pragmatic woman is a modern businesswoman who achieves her goals in life no worse than a man.
History of the approach
Despite the fact that the ideas of pragmatism were considered by ancient Greek thinkers, the ancestor of “down-to-earth” philosophy is considered to be the 19th century American mathematician and logician Charles Peirce. It was he who first formulated the pragmatic maxim - the idea that logical reasoning is the only optimal way to achieve clarity and understanding.
Later, his teaching was continued by other philosophers:
- William James. He created the doctrine of radical empiricism, which rejects all abstract ideas that are not confirmed by experience.
- John Dewey. He laid the foundation for the development of a new branch of pragmatism - instrumentalism. He used his ideas in teaching and argued that students should acquire only useful knowledge and skills that can be useful in solving practical life problems.
- George Santayana. Although he was not a pragmatist in the spirit of previous philosophers, he was an adherent of metaphysical naturalism. He believed that the value of human knowledge, cultural practices and social institutions can be assessed by the extent to which they contribute to human happiness.
Gradually, the concept of pragmatism migrated into everyday life. Modern pragmatists are no longer philosophers and are not followers of Charles Peirce.
More than 100 cool lessons, tests and exercises for brain development
Start developing
Type of thinking in men and women
What is a person's Nordic character like?
In the modern world, a distinction is made between male and female thinking, describing them as follows:
- masculine – digital, based on the logic of common sense;
- feminine – analog, based on inner intuition.
The male thought process is carried out in logical chains and occurs in complete silence.
Women's reflections are voiced in the process and at the same time experienced emotionally. Often the result comes in the form of an insight (an intuitive answer) during the process of “thinking out loud.” Pragmatic women have a masculine mentality; they will think a hundred times before speaking once.
Pragmatic realist
How to develop pragmatism
Homophobe - who is he, definition
Rationality is a good personality trait, so psychologists recommend developing it. This can be done with:
- Bringing to completion any work started;
- Keeping a diary with a list of to-dos for the day;
- Highlighting small stages in the process of achieving the goal;
- Development of voluntary attention;
- Train yourself to have a calm and cool attitude towards life's difficulties.
Pragmatism is characteristic of all successful people. This trait helps to achieve goals, use resources rationally, and avoid stress. The life of a modern person whose pragmatism is poorly developed will bring him disappointment and depression. There are also negative traits in the character of pragmatists, but with the help of willpower their manifestation can be controlled.
Successful pragmatist
What's wrong with a pragmatic approach to relationships?
Kinesthetic - what kind of person is this?
There is an opinion that a pragmatic character is characterized by such bad qualities as:
- cynicism - because they first evaluate the benefits of an action and then act;
- egoism - trying to solve a practical task set for themselves and benefit from it, pragmatic people do not take into account the opinions of others;
- distrust – following logic and practical experience, such people do not pay attention to the emotional appeals of others, but trust only facts.
If we put aside emotions and look at the personal qualities of a pragmatic person, then these are practical people, realistically looking at things, purposeful and reasonable. They know their capabilities, set accessible goals and move towards them with maximum concentration, methodically and disciplined.
History of pragmatism: from philosophy to everyday life
This philosophical movement originated in America, which is not surprising: Americans are a practical nation that Hegel’s objective idealism and other components of the philosophical “classics” could not satisfy.
However, to do without basic teaching entirely, as the French say, is “not comme il faut.” This is how pragmatism emerged. Its founder is considered to be Charles Peirce, who outlined the main ideas of “ down-to-earth philosophy ” in his works.
Peirce's ideas were developed by William James and John Dewey. The latter proposed considering experience as the main philosophical concept. In general, this science was given the role of a tool for improving the social and cultural life of people. Therefore, the second name of Dewey's concept is instrumentalism.
Richard Rorty went even further from classical philosophy, proposing to completely abandon universal ideas and methods - and it’s not far from abstraction! There are specific situations, and you need to focus on them (on the context, in other words). This doctrine came to be called contextualism.
Over time, the concept of “pragmatism” migrated into everyday life. Now it is used not only by philosophers, but by pragmatists in the modern sense - these are not necessarily supporters of the teachings of Charles Peirce. They may not even be aware of its existence.
Pragmatism and commercialism
For a pragmatic person, this is what approach to business should be so that others do not consider him mercantile. Commercialism is the achievement of material (monetary) benefits from any relationship (business or personal), using other people or relationships with them for this.
Pragmatism is movement towards a goal, relying on one’s own strengths and experience, without detriment to others. Since not everything in the world is measured by money, pragmatists are capable of normal relationships.
However! If a pragmatist understands that the person whom he should and can support will not respond kindly to him in the future or is completely devoid of feelings of gratitude, then he can easily abandon any attempts to help him.
Advantages and disadvantages
Healthy pragmatism is a natural quality of a mature personality that has developed historically. During the time of hunting for mammoths, it helped primitive people build a clear strategy, the success of which depended on whether they would become well-fed breadwinners today or would themselves become such prey.
In a more modern society, pragmatists managed to achieve great results in the distribution of power, social and other roles. Nowadays, pragmatism still helps to concentrate on the main task, set priorities correctly and move towards goals, despite obstacles.
To summarize, I will note what positive aspects there are in pragmatism:
- a sober, rational view of the world;
- the ability to finish what you start;
- responsibility for decisions made;
- improvement to achieve what you want;
- often this quality borders on professionalism;
- sustainable motivation for success;
- stability and conservatism;
- the ability to concentrate on the chosen direction, sweeping away everything unnecessary;
- the ability to plan and act strictly according to plan;
- pragmatists rely only on themselves and take responsibility for managing their own lives;
- know how to take advantage of any situation.
At the same time, pragmatists are often justifiably accused of the following shortcomings:
- excessive prudence;
- cold;
- callousness;
- boringness;
- cynicism;
- mistrust;
- selfishness;
- demandingness (not only to oneself, but also to others).
Read about who an egoist is in our separate publication.
Pragmatism also has a more subjective disadvantage. In different historical periods, in some cultures, including Russia, there was collectivism, which was based on the importance and value of the team. Pragmatism represents individualism, personal responsibility and personal success, which a priori contradicts this social structure.
Despite the current popularity of the “cult of the successful person,” many still consider the pursuit of a goal to be bad form.
How to become a pragmatist in a good way
When it is clear who pragmatists are, and a person wants to instill these traits in himself and cultivate them, what to do? Having figured out what it means to be a pragmatist, a person can work on himself, developing the following character traits:
- planning – setting tasks and goals, immediate and long-term;
- detailed elaboration - thinking through the details necessary to complete them;
- determination of approximate deadlines and their strict implementation.
Attention! Before you think about long-term plans, you need to make a list of absolutely everything you want. From this list, select those that can be implemented in the near future and those that will take years to implement.
For example, this is how a girl can tell her friends about this: “Before I became a pragmatist, I made a simple wish list, where I indicated that I wanted to get an education, get married, where I would live and how many children I wanted to have in marriage.”
Every person can cultivate a pragmatist and turn this quality into a useful form. The main thing is to remember that only a daily step towards your goal will help you reach it. If things have moved even a millimeter, then getting the final result is only a matter of time.
Pragmatist and relationships with others
When communicating with others, a pragmatic person makes a pleasant impression.
He is open to communication, likes to joke, does not argue, and easily finds contact with any people. In conversation he often uses examples from life and stereotypical phrases. The tone of statements is often enthusiastic and enthusiastic, which sometimes gives the impression of hypocrisy and insincerity. Often offers simple ideas, briefly explaining them with examples from personal practice. He does not shy away from exchanging opinions and organizes collective discussions of important issues. Considers serious debates boring. He prefers real, practically implementable proposals to theoretical and philosophical long-term reasoning. Being in a tense state gives the impression of a bored person who is not interested in the issues being discussed.
Most successful politicians and businessmen, artists and singers, managers and producers achieved their positions in the profession thanks to the use of sober calculation. They do not tend to stray from the intended path, being distracted by sentimental thoughts and wasting energy on emotional actions. In life they are guided only by cold calculation.
Video
Coffee capsule Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cappuccino, 3 packs of 16 capsules
1305 ₽ More details
Coffee capsules Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cappuccino, 8 servings (16 capsules)
435 ₽ More details
Blue laptops
Public opinion
It is not uncommon to hear negative comments about successful people.
The following traits of pragmatists cause indignation:
- Cynicism
. The belief that everything has a price in monetary terms and that you can do anything to achieve positive results causes rejection. As a result, others consider them immoral. - Lack of authorities
. For pragmatists who seek profit in everything, only their own interests are important. They can listen to other people's opinions, but will only take them into account if it suits their interests. In other cases, they will not rely on other people’s words, authority and actions. - Selfishness
. All efforts are made only to achieve the set goal. On the way to her, he will not be stopped by other people's emotions and losses. They are not interested in the interests of others, since the main thing in life is the result at any cost.
It is these qualities that cause a negative attitude that are necessary for the implementation of the plan. These people do not stop in front of obstacles; difficulties only strengthen their character. All this allows you to finish the job you started.
What is PRAGMATISM - definition, meaning in simple words, briefly.
In simple words, Pragmatism is a point of view that aims to consider the practical consequences and real effects of certain actions. In other words, we can say that pragmatism is a certain worldview, the essence of which is to evaluate things, ideas or actions only from the point of view of their practicality and expediency.
