ABSTRACT
Moral utilitarianism has been one of the most predominant ethical theories since Jeremy Bentham's time, and particularly influential in modern economic theory. Sometimes, deontological ethics is conceived as standing in between both consequentialism and non-consequentialism or absolutism. Pragmatism, as a determinate philosophical doctrine, descends from the work of the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. The pragmatic effectiveness constitutes a guide to truth in the case of statements, to rightness in the case of action, and to value in the case of appraisals. Moral utilitarianism's determination of the lightness of actions in terms of their capacity to provide the greatest good for the greatest number can be seen as a pragmatic theory of truth-holding according to which an empirical claim is correct if its acceptance is maximally benefit-producing. Thus, the utilitarian pragmatic rule is opened to the same difficulties as any criterion based on pragmatic 'effectiveness'. Peirce mentions various methods for solving doubts: obstinacy; persecution or despotism; public opinion; and reasoning.
