Universal pragmatics

Universal pragmatics (more recently known as formal pragmatics) is a program that tries to explain all of the conditions that are necessary for an understanding between people to be reached. It is of special interest to many fields, including Pragmatics, Semantics, Discourse ethics, Sociology, symbolic interactionism, Social philosophy, Ethics, Semiotics, Informal logic, Epistemology, and the Philosophy of mind.

Related Topics:
Understanding - Pragmatics - Semantics - Discourse ethics - Sociology - Symbolic interactionism - Social philosophy - Ethics - Semiotics - Informal logic - Epistemology - Philosophy of mind

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One of its most noteworthy proponents, and the one who coined the term, is the philosopher Jürgen Habermas. He suggests in his essay, "What is Universal Pragmatics?" (Habermas 1979), that human competition, conflict, and strategic action are really attempts to reach an understanding. The implication is that coming to terms with how people might understand one another would reduce conflict in the world.

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For Habermas, the goal of coming to an understanding is "intersubjective mutuality... shared knowledge, mutual trust, and accord with one another" (3). In other words, to have the goal of coming to an understanding in one's mind would foster enlightenment, consensus, and good will. So, for these reasons, one might see how the project ought to be taken on with earnest.

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By coming to an "understanding", he means at least when two or more actors share the same meanings about certain words or phrases, and at most when two or more actors share the meanings and are confident that those meanings fit relevant social expectations (or a "mutually recognized normative background" ).

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