UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES-MANILA

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES AND PHILOSOPHY

LECTURE NOTES IN ETHICS

CLASS OF DR. ALLAN C. ORATE

MODULE 11
Ethics of Pragmatism
M11. TOPIC OVERVIEW

There is a saying that “the end justifies the means.” The statement was originally by Nicollo
Machiavelli who meant it to be in the field of his political philosophy. The more common
interpretation has now been within the context of an ethical theory. This perspective asserts that
the result (end) of the act (means) determines its moral value, so that if the act works in producing
beneficial result for the people concerned, then the act is good. So, it is a common belief by some
students that cheating is good because it makes them pass the exam. If your reason out this way,
more likely you adhere to the ethics of pragmatism.

M11. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lessons, the students are expected to:

1. Compare and contrast pragmatic ethics with other ethical theories.
2. Exemplify some human acts to which the ethics of pragmatism is employed.
3. Evaluate the moral quality of an act based on pragmatism.
4. Apply the principles of pragmatism to ethical reasoning and decision-making.

M11. READINGS

M11. Reading 1. Study.com, "Pragmatism in Philosophy," in https://study.com/learn/lesson/prag

matism-in-philosophy-william-james-john-dewey-cs-peirce.html.
M11. Reading 2. PHILO-Notes, "Pragmatic Ethics: Meaning, Nature and Dynamics," in
https://philonotes.com/2022/05/pragmatic-ethics-meaning-nature-and-dynamics.

M11. VIDEOS

M11. Video 1. Language and Ideas, "What is Pragmatism," in https://www.youtube.

com/watch?v=8Q4cAzv7FLw.
M11. Video 2. PHILO-notes (2019), “What is Pragmatic Ethics?” in https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=gEcoQHO85rc.
M11. Video 3. Interesting Info, "Robin Hood: Robbing from the Rich, Giving to the Poor," in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkJYdMBJSlY.

LECTURE NOTES IN ETHICS PREPARED BY DR. ALLAN C. ORATE 1

 M11. LECTURE

Pragmatism is a theory developed by the American triumvirate composed of Charles

Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), William James (1842-1910) and John Dewey (1859-1942).
Derived from the Greek term praxis, which in English is equivalent to “practice,” the word
“pragmatism” was first mentioned in print in 1896 by James who credited Peirce for having coined
the term in 1870. As a philosophy, it is both a theory of knowledge (epistemology), and a theory
of value (axiology). Generally, it views that whatever is true and good undergo the process of
evaluation by human experience in actual practice of life.

The Pragmatic Maxim

Pragmatism begins with the idea that belief is that in which one is prepared to act. It is a
method for fruitful thinking about problems. In his books How to make our Ideas Clear, Peirce
suggested a theory that has become the foundation of pragmatic epistemology. He said: Consider
the practical effects of the object of your conception. Then, your conception of those effects is the
whole of your conception of the object.” What is important in a conception of an object is not the
fact that it actually happens, but its effect to a person, that is, its practical value to his or her life.

For example, supposed I have this conception: “I believe that today when I go out, it is
going to rain.” Believing it to be true, I take this belief as the basis of my action, which required
me to bring an umbrella, If it rains, then I am ready with my umbrella. Believing that it would rain
has a practical value, thus is true for me for; it resulted into bringing the umbrella, by means of
which I avoided a problem. And if it does not rain, so what? This fact doesn’t matter to me. The
idea becomes clear to my mind if, by believing that it is true, it may be used, applied or practiced
in my life as it solves the difficulty I encounter.

Pragmatism: Theory and Method

In his book Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Way of Thinking, James referred to
the biblical passage: “You shall know them by their fruits” (Mt. 7:16), and interpreted it to mean
that the truth of things is known by their result. He thus formulated the Pragmatic Method to be
“an attitude of end-orientation…. The attitude of looking away from first things, principles,
categories, necessities; and of looking towards last things, fruits, consequences, results.” In other
words, what is significant in life is not the act itself, but the result of such act. A person must do
whatever act he can if it takes him into achieving the result he desires. By ethical consideration,
this follows that “the end justifies the means.”

Another work by James is Pragmatism and the Meaning of Truth where he formulated the
pragmatic theory of and truth. He wrote: “Truth happens to an idea.” This means that an idea in
the mind becomes true by putting it into practice in actual life situations. According to James:
“Facts themselves are not true (or false). They simply are. Truth is the function of the beliefs that
start and terminate among them." Whatever happens in the world is a fact. Truth emerges from
facts. The world changes, so truth changes along with the world. Truth is relative for it depends
upon its use to the person who holds it. Truth is subjective. There is then no truth that is purely
objective because it is totally outside human interest. Belief is that upon which a person is prepared

LECTURE NOTES IN ETHICS PREPARED BY DR. ALLAN C. ORATE 2

to act. Truth is a belief proven useful to the believer. In matters of morality, it is the usefulness of
the act in producing result which constitutes its value. Once put into practice, the act becomes good
as it ends into something beneficial to the person concerned.

Instrumentalism by Dewey

Instrumentalism, also called experimentionism, is the version of pragmatism applied by

Dewey in the fields of ethics and philosophy of education. “The proper interpretation of
‘pragmatic,’ namely the function of consequences as necessary tests of the validity of propositions,
provided these consequences are operationally instituted and are such as to resolve the specific
problem evoking the operations, the text that follows is thoroughly pragmatic.” It means that a
concept or a theory is a tool used to measure its effectivity for explaining phenomena through the
result it brings. It must be tested using procedures like the scientific method.

Specifically, an ethical theory must serve to explain human experiences. To be effective,

morality undergoes a trial-and-error process, like that used in science. An act must pass the test of
workability to determine its moral worth. The act is said to be workable when it is tested by human
experiences, towards solving the problems of life. An act is good when it works in practice towards
producing expected or predicted result. And an act is bad when it does not work. If the act does
not work, it needs to be modified, or altogether rejected, until a workable act is found.

In the experiences of individual persons, as well as those of the society, there are acts that
have been found effective in solving problems, and these acts are considered good by virtue of the
practical results they bring. Divorce is good because it solves marital problem. Artificial
contraception and abortion are good because they solve the problem of overpopulation. Death
penalty if good because by deterrence it lessens the crimes happening in the society. Engaging in
offensive war is good because it solves international conflict towards the promotion of lasting
peace. Or human experimentation is good because it leads to the discovery of medicines and
procedures to cure diseases. Dewey believed that, through constant experiments in human
experiences, the society will come up with the best action that would produce the best results.

LECTURE NOTES IN ETHICS PREPARED BY DR. ALLAN C. ORATE 3