Pragmatism: the Zealot | Archetypical Philosophies 5
a Short Essay for the Modern Existentialist
1 | Pragmatism: In Search of Purpose
The Faithful and the Cynical could stand there bickering forever, yet still never reach any conclusion. A hero might slay any number of his foe—yet still, the conflict between their worlds never end. And so, when eventually they tire of fighting each other at the base of the wall—when they grow bored or distracted or hungry—they’ll wander off into the wilds; a feral world, lawless and free.
There, in those wild lands, the nature of reality becomes clear to see. The world is Chaos, and Order is made—created by human hands. New Order is born from Chaos, emerging from the fact of human action; from the coming-together of Agency.
Here, the Idealist must acknowledge that the world can’t be a place of inherent Order—after all, he can clearly see that the entire world beyond his old home is one which is steeped in Chaos. The Nihilist, too, must here acknowledge the sheer utility of walls and Agency; that is, that—in spite of what he might believe about the ultimate futility of existence—Order makes it easier for him to accomplish the things which he wants to do today; for him to go about his life freely.
And so, this is how the Pragmatist is born; the one who has witnessed—and thus finally understands—the fact that Order is made and emerges from the confluence of Chaos and Agency.
With this knowledge, the Pragmatist begins to lay the foundations of a new Eden—to build a garden of his own, fabricating a world of social Order in the absence of a metaphysical one. He raises a wall to reduce uncertainty and to achieve control—to expel the Chaos of the outside world and create a safe place; an Ordered space which adheres to his rule of law, in which he’ll be better able to protect the things which he loves. A place in which everything is made by design—a space fit to guard and defend his people and his passions; the things which give his existence purpose and meaning, and to which he's chosen to dedicate his life.
And so, the Pragmatist is the Zealot—a man both driven and consumed by his passions, and who’s chosen to dedicate everything that he is to the survival and prosperity of the things which he loves. He chases this purpose which he’s chosen for himself in the face of the Chaotic nature of the world—pursuing meaning in the midst of a meaningless world. Thus, the Pragmatist is the one who believes that there are two kinds of people in this world:
The noble, and the base.
There are those who have proven themselves worthy of his respect, and those who have proven that they’re trash. There are those who have earned the right to be called his friends, or rivals, or peers… and then, there are those who waste their time and their lives—squandering their Agency, undermining their potential, and ultimately wasting their existence.
2 | Onward
And so, the Pragmatist toils away, working himself to the bone. He chases his dream of Eden—of home… a place and a life which he could call his own. But a Pragmatist is only one person alone—and one person, no matter how capable or skilled, can only ever hope to accomplish so much. And so, the Pragmatist comes quickly to realize that, if he hopes to succeed, he will need allies—hirelings, supporters, or brothers-in-arms; just anyone who’d agree to help, and to lend him their Agency.
Philosophy: a mindset. An attitude. The way that a person chooses to see the world, and therefore to approach living their life.
Αρχή | archí: origin
Τύπος | týpos: form
An Archetypical Philosophy is the bare-bones, logical basis of a person’s mindset or attitude, inferred from observation of the way in which they choose to live their life.