John Dewey's pragmatic ethics

John Dewey is one of the founding philosophers of pragmatism, along with Charles Peirce and William James. He tried to put forward a pragmatic understanding of ethics by applying the basic views of pragmatism in metaphysics and epistemology to this field. Traditional ethical theories in the history philosophy have tried to find a universal and objective purpose for the moral life and a single foundation that directs the moral agent towards this purpose. It is possible to classify these theories under three main categories: The first is teleological moral theories, which define the purpose of moral life as the Highest Good towards which desires, subject to the guidance of reason, are directed. The second is the deontological moral theories, which argue that the purpose of moral life is to obey the laws/duties that reason shows to be right/just. The third is virtue ethics, which explains moral life in terms of virtues that are formed according to social approval and condemnation in traditional moral life. Dewey criticized these basic ethical theories, claiming that they are reductionist in their attempt to explain the complex nature of the moral life, in which many elements interact with each other, with a single universal and objective purpose and foundation based on an analytical and dualistic approach. In response, he argued that the purpose of moral life is development, perfection, and growth, and by embracing a dialectical and holistic approach, he tried to show that each of the elements that traditional ethical theories emphasize has a legitimate and irreducible place and function in moral life. According to him, the only condition for the moral agent to develop and grow himself/herself is to be able to achieve harmony, unity and continuity based on mutual interaction between all these elements. However, since this points to an open-ended process, self-realization is not a goal that is assumed from the beginning, nor is it a final goal that can be claimed to have been achieved. In this respect, self-realization is not a goal external to the process, but the process itself. This study examines John Dewey's approach to the nature and possibility of moral life based on pragmatism in its various dimensions. I try to give a comparative answer to the question of whether the view he proposes as an alternative to traditional ethical theories has strength and value. Key Terms: John Dewey, Pragmatism, Ethical Theory, Moral Purpose, Moral Agent.