The whole meaning of a concept is the sum of its conceivable practical effects; where there is no difference in practice there is no difference in meaning.
Peirce's 1878 maxim founded pragmatism. Its practical use is as a dissolver: if two positions predict the same observations in every case, the dispute between them may be verbal.
In practice
- Two positions that predict identical observations in every case may be disagreeing about vocabulary rather than about the world.
- A dispute over whether a team is "really" agile that produces no different action on Monday has been dissolved rather than settled.
- Subject
- Science & Epistemology
- Essay
- Rules for weighing claims