A Reflection on the Stoic Pragmatism of John Lachs

Abstract

The key aim of the paper is to answer the question about the philosophy proposed by John Lachs. According to him, Stoic pragmatism combines the accepting modesty of the Stoics with the search for improvement promoted by pragmatists. This theory reflects the approach of people who strive for a better life, but when everything fails, they are ready to accept the existing reality. According to Lachs, stoicism and pragmatism complement each other. Together in the kit, they can serve as a valuable guide for social planning and individual life. My article briefly presents the structure of the book Stoicki Pragmatism, arguments in favor of the marriage of stoicism and pragmatism, and issues related to it. The arguments in favor of adopting stoic pragmatism are errors in the pragmatic approach, the inappropriate juxtaposition of active pragmatism with passive stoicism, and the fact that any change for the better presupposes the existence of certain unchanging factors. The conclusion of these considerations is that both stoicism and pragmatism capture only a part of the truth about the human condition, and therefore, to comprehend it in its entirety, they need each other. Freedom, responsibility, the place of the individual in society and joy are the remaining problems that I undertake. These are the issues that, in my opinion, allow us to better understand the concept of stoic pragmatism and the importance that, according to Lachs, it can have in human life.