What Pragmatism Means?
Caitlyn Williams May 2nd, 2025 In the landscape of American philosophy, few figures stand as prominently as William James, and few concepts are as enduring as pragmatism. In his seminal lecture, What Pragmatism Means , James offers both a defense and a clarification of this philosophical approach, aiming to demystify it for a broader audience. At its core, pragmatism is not a rigid doctrine but a method- a way of thinking about truth, meaning, and belief that prioritizes practical consequences and experimental verification. By shifting philosophical inquiry away from abstract speculation and toward the lived realities of human experience, James reframes the purpose of philosophy itself. This essay will explore James’s conception of pragmatism, its key principles, and its broader implications for how we understand knowledge, truth, and reality. William James was a prominent American philosopher and psychologist who lived from 1842 to 1910. He is widely regarded as one of the fou...