Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. In 2011, according to the American Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the concept of “pragmatic” became the word of the year.
This conclusion was made based on online queries. Their impressive number confirmed not only the popularity of the concept, but also the gaps in understanding its essence.
Despite the prevalence of the word, even today not everyone knows for certain: what is pragmatic? It's time to sort everything out.
Definition
Translated from ancient Greek, the word “pragmatism” means “deed, action.” This term has philosophical roots, and therefore Wikipedia and other dictionaries primarily define it in the aspect of this science.
Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that, in contrast to classical philosophy, is based on the study of useful and effective activity as a central property of the human essence.
Psychology considers pragmatism in its more familiar meaning. From her point of view, this is a life strategy, which is expressed in a penchant for practical, verified decisions and actions aimed at achieving measurable material benefits. Accordingly, a pragmatist is one who adheres to this strategy.
In simple words, a pragmatic person is one who prefers to do only useful things that can lead him to his final goal.
The following concepts can be cited as synonyms:
- practicality,
- earthiness,
- utility,
- prudence.
Brief summary
The main idea of pragmatism is effective action, bridging the gap between theory and practice, therefore a pragmatic person is a man of reason who does not accept abstractness, is guided by the criterion of “useful-useless”, logic and common sense.
He sets realistic goals for himself, knows how to abstract from everything unnecessary and consistently achieves results. It is only important that the concept of “excess” does not include fundamental life values: spirituality, family, love, friendship, self-development.
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.
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Ranked Lists
In practice, in modern Russia, the construction of ranked lists is most actively used by educational institutions, which in this way order applicants wishing to enroll in a given university or other institution.
In this case, the ranking criterion is the sum of points that each graduate received in all exams that are mandatory for admission. Based on this indicator, ranked lists of applicants are built, in which the highest positions are occupied by young people who scored the highest total number of points, and the lowest positions are occupied by those who scored the fewest points. Based on these lists, which are also sometimes called applicant ratings, admissions are subsequently made.
A very mysterious and at the same time mysterious word is pragmatism. Many people do not know its meaning and are often surprised when someone uses the word pragmatism in their vocabulary. In the minds of the average person, this term is directly associated with some kind of rational, integral actions. Many centuries ago, people sought to give every object and action an explanation and the key goal was to pass on knowledge to the next generation. Literally from the Greek language the word “pragmatism” is translated as kind, deed, action.
The philosophy of pragmatism began to actively develop only in the early 70s of the 19th century. The founder of the philosophy of pragmatism in America was Charles Peirce; he is called the founding father of pragmatism as a method. Sanders introduced the world to the basic ideas of pragmatism, which he illustrated in several of his publications: “Anchoring Beliefs” and “Making Our Ideas Clear.” This philosophical trend took hold in the United States of America, but only in the 20th century.
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.
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.
What is pragmatism?
The meaning of the word “pragmatism” implies a tendency to follow narrow practical interests, considerations of utility and benefit in everything, to build one’s own line of behavior and a system of views on life aimed at obtaining practically useful results.
The essence of true pragmatism is to set clear goals and look for ways to achieve them and further implement them. People with this quality are also characterized by prudence and common sense.
Pragmatism helps a person to reveal his full potential, to concentrate all his attention on priorities and primary needs with a view to their step-by-step implementation.
Pragmatism is often perceived as a negative character trait, since it is believed that this quality speaks of a person’s commercialism and cynicism. A distinctive characteristic of a pragmatist is the ability to ignore everything unnecessary that interferes with the implementation of the plan, to correctly plan and distribute every minute of one’s time.
Unlike commercialism, pragmatism is not characterized by pettiness, prudence, or the desire to seek benefits for oneself in any situation.
What is the difference between pragmatism and commercialism?
The negative attitude towards pragmatism is also explained by the fact that this quality is often put on a par with commercialism. But these are completely different things.
Despite the fact that there is a share of selfishness in the actions of a pragmatist, they are not always dictated by commercialism. The goal of such a person can be not only material gain, but also moral satisfaction.
A pragmatic person knows the value not only of himself and his achievements, but also recognizes the merits of others. He knows how to selflessly make friends, love, without interfering in interpersonal relationships with pettiness, corruption, hypocrisy and other similar qualities characteristic of a mercantile personality.
A pragmatist achieves his goals through his own efforts, while a mercantile person seeks to benefit at someone else’s expense.
However, these concepts also have similarities. One of them is helping others. A mercantile person will provide support to a person in need only if he repays with something useful and valuable. A pragmatist values his time and himself too much, and therefore he will count on at least sincere gratitude for helping someone. He will think twice before supporting a person who loves freebies and does not appreciate a friendly attitude.
A Practical View of Success
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the portrait of a pragmatic personality presented above indicates that such an attitude towards things, business and people helps to achieve success. There are rules by following which you can learn to benefit from life:
- Before starting an activity, clearly formulate its purpose. Having seen a problem, a person understands how to solve it. At the same time, each problem should be considered not as an obstacle to achieving a goal, but as an opportunity to develop new skills and gain invaluable experience.
- After completing the case, you need to analyze the work process. If a person is able to find and admit his own mistakes, then he, in fact, is drawing up a personal growth plan based on eliminating mistakes.
- Give priority to solving your own problems. Only after you have achieved your own goal can you help others realize their goals. At the same time, you need to learn to refuse a request that you do not want to fulfill. This will avoid stress.
- Live for today. Thoughts about problems and difficulties that may or may not happen take up a lot of mental energy. However, circumstances in life change rapidly, so there is no point in thinking about the distant future with fear. It is better to spend your energy solving today's problems and planning for tomorrow.
- Train yourself to save. Refusal of an unplanned purchase will allow you to save money for the purchase of something more significant and necessary. It is better to put the saved money not in a piggy bank, but in a savings account in a bank with interest. In addition, if a person learns to manage his finances, keep a diary of income and expenses, he will be able to plan his budget.
Diary of income and expenses
- Lead a healthy lifestyle, take care of your health. A person who does not have physical health problems is distinguished by a sound mind and the ability to make competent decisions. In addition, taking care of your health and preventing illness will save money that is often spent on medications.
- Engage in self-development. At the same time, you need to come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to embrace the immensity. For self-development, it is better to choose an area in which you really have an interest. If you spend time reading boring books, watching strange films and communicating with losers, then there will be no time left for the important, necessary, interesting.
How to become a pragmatist
Pragmatism is a sustainable quality. And if you are a dreamer and romantic by nature, then it is unlikely that you will be able to quickly “change your shoes” into a practical person. It is extremely difficult to do something with innate temperament, character and upbringing. But there are still a number of qualities that you can cultivate in yourself:
- determination,
- responsibility,
- punctuality,
- demanding of oneself.
If you want to become more pragmatic, I recommend developing critical thinking as well as rational thinking. I wrote in detail about how to do this in separate articles. Here are just a few recommendations:
- Learn to set correct and achievable goals for yourself. This can be done using SMART - goal setting technique.
- Take time to plan. Keep a diary where you can write down upcoming tasks every day and celebrate their implementation.
- Bring things you start to their logical conclusion. At the same time, it is important to be able to abandon obviously hopeless plans. Adequately estimate labor costs. And if the game is not worth the candle, allow yourself to retreat.
- Turn dreams into tasks. Choose one of your desires and describe in detail the steps you need to take to realize it.
- When making any choice, try to be guided more by reason than by emotions. Sometimes excessive sentimentality and feelings interfere with making sound decisions.
