The Essence of Ethical Pragmatism: The Common Sense Philosophy

Book excerpt: If you were choosing a physician to perform a life-saving task for yourself or a loved one, would you choose a lesser-qualified physician because the better-qualified one had social or political views inconsistent with your own? Wouldn't common sense tell you that regardless of your personal disagreements, the better-qualified physician would always be the best choice? If you think so, then you are already following one of the foundational teachings of ethical pragmatism (EP)-a common sense philosophy that stands as a simple guide for finding clear perspectives on how to achieve goals in the most beneficial way. The first part of The Essence of Ethical Pragmatism (known as EP) explains the philosophy, its development and its justifications. The second part of the book shows how the philosophy can be implemented to better our lives with a number of examples that involve issues challenging us today.