Pragmatism is believing that everything real must have proof. This seems like a logical way to think, no? It would seem that to have proof (to have physical evidence of the existence of something) would prove existence. If something can be proven, it is real? If it cannot be proven, is it not real? Many people have tried to try or disprove God. They say that since there is no physical evidence, no proof, that God therefore cannot exist. They fail to realize that just because God doesn’t meet their human standard of truth/reality, it doesn’t mean that he is not real, or true. To doubt is acceptable, and to question what we believe is human. To use doubt, as a reason for creating a standard by which truth is based off of, is to be pragmatic. So…. almost every human uses pragmatism as a way to prove his or her world.
As humans, we are curious about the world around us. We constantly seek to understand the world, and understand more about why it works. It’s human nature to seek knowledge. We all have to have something to base our truth off of. A truth standard, if you will. A pragmatist believes that truth can only be found in reality, that when and only when something happens, can it be proven as true. For instance, say there is an electric wall fan. The only way for a pragmatist to truly believe that the fan is real is if when it is plugged in, it turns on and the blades begin to oscillate. Once an object proven to work, then for the pragmatist it is officially real. The truth standard is the factual evidence supporting something.
According to the logic of a truth standard (that something has to be proven to be true, only once it’s been proven can we put faith in it) in some way, we are all pragmatist. We each have a truth standard by which we base truth off of. What is true is what is proven true by our truth standard. That truth standard might change from person to person, but we all have one. For Christians, the truth standard is God. What ever he dictates as truth, Christians see as truth. For a realist, whatever can be visibly seen, what ever is physically there, is what is real. Their truth standard is physical reality.
Truth Standards are different for every person. Your world and religious views play a huge part in how you find your truth standard.
As a Christian, my truth standard is God. What he says is truth, I see as truth. I am a Christian Pragmatic. I am a Christian, i.e. someone who believes that God sent his son to die on the cross for my sins, as well as a pragmatic, someone who believes that truth must be proven. My truth is proven by the truth standard of God. What ever passes his standard, passes mine. I understand my world, because of my truth standard. Because of how I know I can prove my world. We all are pragmatics. We all are trying to understand and make sense of the world we live in. The question is not whether we are pragmatic or not, the questions is, what is our truth Standard. I know what my truth standard is. Do you know yours? I choose to follow the standard laid down my God. Who have you let lay down your truth? I know where truth comes from, do you?
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