Full Idea
Pragmatism is no doctrine of metaphysics, no attempt to determine the truth of things. It is merely a method of ascertaining the meanings of hard words and of abstract concepts.
Gist of Idea
Pragmatism is a way of establishing meanings, not a theory of metaphysics or a set of truths
Source
Charles Sanders Peirce (Pragmatism in Retrospect [1906], p.271)
Book Reference
Peirce,Charles Sanders: 'Philosophical Writings of Peirce', ed/tr. Buchler,Justus [Dover 1940], p.271
A Reaction
Suddenly I recognise a prominent strand of modern philosophy of language (especially in America) for what it is.