Doing What's Right

Pragmatism is what I recently heard described as America’s policy when dealing with Pakistan. So what is pragmatism? I decided to ask Google for the definition…

A philosophical doctrine formulated and defended by Charles S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey, George Herbert Mead, and C. I. Lewis. It was originally formulated by Peirce as a maxim for how to make our ideas clear. Having evolved into the theory of meaning, pragmatism insists upon the necessity of interpreting our utterances in terms of their conceivable bearing upon our conduct. As a theory of truth, it proposes that we conceive truth in terms of such notions as what facilitates our commerce with experience.

A method in philosophy where value is determined by practical results.

Theory that the truth of ideas, concepts and values depends on their utility or capacity to serve a useful purpose rather than on their conformity with objective standards; also called utilitarianism.

The theory that ideas or principles are true so far as they work. In general, pragmatists rely on empirical or experimental methods and reject apriorism as a source of human knowledge. Because pragmatists differ among themselves in their use of the term, it is difficult to give a short precise definition. For adequate treatment see Dagobert A. Runes' Dictionary of Philosophy. HA. 23-24,32.

Philosophies that hold that the meaning of concepts lies in the difference they make to conduct and that the function of thought is to guide action.

An ethical system based on the expedient way to accomplish a desired result, regardless of the means.

A philosophical system or movement stressing practical consequences and values as standards by which concepts are to be analyzed and their validity determined.

Part of the symbolic interactionist view, which suggests that meaning lies essentially in how people act or behave. James and Peirce believed that the function of thought is to guide human action.

the philosophical school of thought, associated with Dewey, James, and Peirce, that tries to mediate between idealism and materialists by rejecting all absolute first principles, tests truth through workability, and views the universe as pluralistic

The philosophy that holds that reality is physical and ever changing, knowledge established consensually through the scientific method, and values are relative.

There are many things and what benefits me most is true (if it works, fine. If it doesn't work, fix it. If you can't fix it, throw it away and start over). Pragmatism is not far from monism as the circle goes.

The practice of testing validity of all concepts by their practical results...

(philosophy) the doctrine that practical consequences are the criteria of knowledge and meaning and value

realism: the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth.

So what is my definition? Pragmatism is doing what is expedient instead of that which is right to do.