Pragmatism

Pragmatism is an American philosophical school. It started around 1870. Key contributors were Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 – 1914; "the father of pragmatism", pronounce "purse"), William James (1842 – 1910) and John Dewey (1859 – 1952).

Key idea: the function of thought is as a tool for prediction, action, and problem solving.This differs from classical philosophy where thought is used to find objective truths.

The pragmatic maxim was formulated by Peirce and serves to guide the conduct of thought toward the achievement of its purpose: "Consider what effects, that might conceivably have practical bearings, we conceive the object of our conception to have. Then, our conception of these effects is the whole of our conception of the object."