Pragmatics and Semantics

A variety of contemporary pragmatics theories based on philosophy focus on semantics. Brandom, for example is focused on the meaning of words (albeit from a pragmatic point of view).

Others take an approach that is more holistic to pragmatics, such as relevance theory, which aims to understand how an expression is perceived by the listener. This method tends to overlook other aspects of pragmatics such as epistemic discussions about truth.

What is the definition of pragmatism?

Pragmatism is a philosophical approach that offers a viable alternative to analytic philosophy and continental philosophy. Charles Sanders Peirce initiated it, and William James extended it. Later, Josiah Royce developed the philosophy. It had a profound influence on the fields of inquiry from philosophy of theology to philosophy of science as well as ethics as well as philosophy of politics and language. The pragmatist tradition continues to develop.

The pragmatic maxim is at the center of classical pragmatism. It is a rule that clarifies the meaning of hypotheses by examining their 'practical implications' or their implications for the experience of particular situations. This gives rise to an epistemological perspective that is a form of 'inquiry-based epistemology', and an anti-Cartesian interpretation of the rules that govern inquiry. The early pragmatists were divided on whether pragmatism was a scientific philosophy that embraced a monism regarding truth (following Peirce) or a broad alethic pluralitism (James and Dewey).

How to understand knowledge is a central question for the pragmatists. Rorty is one pragmatist who is skeptical of any notions of knowledge built on "immediate experiences". Others, such as Peirce or James, are skeptical of the correspondence theory which asserts that the most authentic beliefs are those that accurately represent reality.

Pragmatism also addresses the relationship between beliefs, reality and human rationality. It also examines the role of virtues and values, and the meaning and purpose of our lives. Pragmatists have also developed a range of theories and methods, including those in semiotics and philosophy of language. They also have explored areas such as philosophy of religion, philosophy, ethics, science and theology. Some, like Peirce and Royce are epistemological relativists, while others argue that such relativity is a serious misguided idea. The late 20th century saw a revival of interest in classical pragmatics. This resulted in a variety of new developments. This includes a "near-side" pragmatics that is focused on the resolution of ambiguity, indexicals, demonstratives and anaphors. There is also the "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 regarded as being on opposite ends of the continuum. On the near side, semantics is considered and pragmatics is on the far side. Carston for instance, argues that there are at least three general kinds of pragmatics in the present people who view it as a philosophy based on the lines of Grice