Pragmatic Idealism

by Madeleine Kando

If I had to choose one word in the English language to describe my oldest daughter’s personality, I would describe her as ‘pragmatic’. My husband likes to describe her as ‘Dutch’, as if she was a piece of cheese. She is after all, half Dutch, half Hungarian. Dutch on her father’s side, Hungarian on her mother’s side. 

But calling her ‘Dutch’ does not do justice to her OR Dutch cheese. There are hundreds of types of Dutch cheeses and many flavors of pragmatism. Calling someone ‘pragmatic’ is just as vague as describing someone’s personality as 'Dutch', but for lack of a better word I will stick to that description.



The word pragmatic comes from the Latin word ‘pragmaticus’ (being skilled in law or business) and the Greek root ‘pragma’, which means a thing done, a fact. I personally like the following definition of a pragmatist: ‘One who acts in response to particular situations rather than upon abstract ideals; one who is willing to ignore their ideals to accomplish goals.’


Well, in that sense, we are all pragmatists by default? The question is not whether you are willing to ignore your ideals in the face of reality, but how far you are willing to go.



It is often said that the American character is quintessentially pragmatic. American inventors like Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell epitomize Pragmatism and the Yankee spirit of tinkering. Pragmatism says: ‘Try something and see if it works’. America itself was an experiment. Pragmatism judges whether something is good by its consequences. Pragmatism says that there are no absolute truths. Nothing is sacred. Ideas are basically there to give actions their purpose. Not the other way around.



For example, is it pragmatic to steal a car so you won’t have to walk to work? Well, according to one of the founders of pragmatism, William James, pragmatism is what works for the majority of people. If everyone started to steal cars, it wouldn't be good for the people whose cars got stolen (or for the car thieves who go to jail), so in the long run, stealing a car to go to work is not pragmatic.



If pragmatism is so American, it is in danger of suffering a slow death. How come we have so many 'principled' politicians in government? The current grid-lock is a direct result of falsely-interpreted idealism on both sides of the isle. From the Republicans' obsession with anti-abortion to the unwillingness to compromise on the Democratic side. It's all very non-American, if you ask me.



Did Americans forget their own philosophical tradition? Even though William James was talking about religion when he said that values should be judged 'by their fruits…not by their roots', it does apply to politics as well.



But I won't venture further into the murky world of Pragmatism as a philosophy because I am not knowledgeable enough and it would be more pragmatic to avoid being called an 'ignoramus'.



I know what my husband was trying to say when he said that my daughter is 'Dutch'. She is what they call 'nuchter', translated as 'solid', 'sober' and sometimes even 'passionless'. Yes, the Dutch are ‘nuchter’. In fact, the Dutch are the world’s designated drivers according to this World map of drunk and sober.



My daughter is certainly solid, not always sober (living in San Francisco is bound to make you intoxicated some of the time since it probably has the most bars per capita in the entire country) but she is definitely not passionless. You might get a better idea of what 'nuchter' means by looking at its opposite: someone who is floating on a cloud, wishy washy, airy-fairy or full of hot air.



On the other hand, I have rarely met someone who is so passionate about justice and fairness in society. What I realize about my daughter, is that she is a pragmatic idealist. She is pragmatically trying to solve large problems based on her ideals. And she is not alone. Our newest generation has no choice but to accept the reality of climate change. Their only option is to tackle it pragmatically. They have no patience for unethical business practices. They believe in the power of taking small pragmatic steps, like turning off the light to save energy. Millions taking small steps must add up to something.

I see my daughter as a symbol of what is still good and strong in America. It is a country where idealism and pragmatism can co-exist. Just like I, the idealistic, airy-fairy mother can learn from my pragmatic, 'nuchter' daughter, so did she, hopefully, get inspired by my idealistic view of the world.  leave comment here