The Pragmatic theory

William James (1842-1910) is believed to be the first advocator of the pragmatic theory. A contemporary adherent to this theory is none other than the renowned philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007). The term 'pragmatic' means practical or useful. William James defines the pragmatic truth in terms of the usefulness of a belief. He thinks that useful beliefs are true and useless beliefs are false. Thus, the pragmatic theory of truth suggests that beliefs are true if they are useful, and false if they are not useful. Accordingly, pragmatists express that 'the pragmatic truth' stands for beliefs that 'work'. Further, they claim that we can't attain the absolute truthand therefore, must be content with what works. Pragmatists are not hesitant to agree with others that true beliefs must be consistent with each other, but they argue that if they are not consistent, they will not work.

Some criticisms are levelled against this theory. Among others, it is quite conceivable that a belief might work well and yet not to be true, or work badly and yet be true. For example, if an intoxicated person believes that consuming alcohol for the next time would kill him, he would be greatly benefited, but this does not make his belief true. It is because every time he consumes alcohol thinks about next time. Take another example, where we find that what works for an individual may not work for another. Again, what works well for an individual in a particular context may not work in another context. If this were the case, how can we assign truth to any belief?