Pragmatic Ethics Flashcards
what does Pragmatism hold
it holds the belief that true and meaningful form of knowledge is one that is practical, workable, beneficial and useful
What is Pragmatism in nature
Epistemological
4 forms of true and meaningful knowledge
Practical
Workable
Beneficial
Useful
if an idea work/brings good result
it is true and meaningful
if an idea does not work/brings bad results
it is meaningless, that is, it has no value
an idea is practical if
it produces good results
an idea is workable if
it can be put to work
an idea is beneficial if
it benefits people
an idea is useful if
it can be used to attain good results
how do we know that an idea is practical, workable, beneficial, and useful?
how do we know that an idea is true and meaningful? (according to William James)
ideas are value-neutral from the beginning, their truth and meaning can be proven through testing or experimentation
how do we know that an idea is true and meaningful? (according to John Dewey)
ideas are proven to be true and meaningful if they proved to be an effective instrument in attaining something
how does a pragmatist view the morality of a human act
from the vantage point of its practicality, workability, beneficialty, and usefulness
in pragmatic ethics, an action is considered morally right if
it is practical, workable, beneficial, and useful; otherwise it has no moral worth
why is Pragmatic ethics not relativistic?
it is not relativistic in the sense that it recognizes that there are different circumstances and that in different circumstances, different actions might be more appropriate
