Science and democracy are founded on the same values. In contemporary society, this common genesis relates with social organization founded on universal suffrage. One of the challenges of the modern knowledge society is the development of more appropriate forms of democratic participation to incorporate scientific innovation and technology through an expansion of citizenship rights.
What is moral philosophy (good) for, and how should we understand and practice it accordingly? In attempting an answer to this vexed metaphilosophical questions about the very nature and point of ethical thinking, the multi-layered position advanced by Dewey in his 1932 Ethics represents a rich source for reflection – pragmatist and otherwise.
Chapter Eleven of Dewey’s Ethics is dedicated to his analysis of «Ends, the Good and Wisdom». In my paper, I explain how Dewey examines some of the most relevant theories addressing the question of the moral end and distinguishes between which of their elements are worth keeping and which should be rejected. These theo-ries include Hedonism, the Epicurean theory, the doctrine of success and the Cynic school's doctrine of asceticism as a moral end.
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