Pragmatic argument is a form of informal reasoning that evaluates claims, beliefs, or courses of action by their practical consequences rather than by abstract principles, theoretical elegance, or authority. Parameters: the proposed claim or action, the practical outcomes it is predicted to produce, the criterion of adequacy (problem-solving effectiveness, functional utility, real-world success), and the domain in which those outcomes are measured. Persistence mechanism: reproduced through social learning, the spread of practices that demonstrably work, and the institutionalization of success criteria in everyday reasoning and policy deliberation. [formal: pragmaticus | substrate: behavior | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
pragmatic-argument
Pragmatic argument is a form of informal reasoning that evaluates claims, beliefs, or courses of action by their practical consequences rather than by abstract principles, theoretical elegance, or authority. Parameters: the proposed claim…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made rhetorical strategy that advances a claim or position based on its practical consequences rather than on evidential or theoretical grounds. Built through language use in deliberative contexts where decision-makers must choose between options under uncertainty.
Names and aliases
- pragmatic-argumenten · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrfgwmbc000wigxu492zdyv3INSTANCE_OF →
Pragmatic argument is a specific kind of argument where practical consequences are used as evidence for a claim's truth. A competent speaker would call a pragmatic argument 'an argument.' Law 9: specific→general.
- cmrqyopt5004wq89doamtu4poINSTANCE_OF →
Pragmatic-argument IS a specific kind of justification — it justifies a belief or action based on its practical consequences rather than inherent truth. Specific→general per Law 9.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 21, 2026, 10:01 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 581b5fdfe9bff9b464d7ce5429005310710fe375ac8c376e2c79b353a7b8db16