The Scientific Method and the Moral Method

Aristotle’s interest in ethics was first and foremost practical—studying ethics should help us to become good. Two millennia later, Francis Bacon’s interest in the philosophy of science was also motivated by practical aspirations—to guide scientists in their quest for empirical knowledge. To this end, he sought to formulate The Scientific Method. The apparent success of science suggests that moral philosophy might do well to take a page from the philosophy of science and to seek a “moral method” to guide the process of becoming good. But if we wish to use the scientific method as a model for practical success in ethics, we might benefit from examining how philosophical thoughts on the scientific method have changed over time. This chapter argues that tracing philosophical reflections on the scientific method reveals that if we are to use the scientific method as our model, we will need to rethink the way we engage in moral theorizing. Moreover, we will need to curb our expectations regarding the kind of practical guidance moral philosophy is likely to provide. It is then suggested that rather than using the scientific method as a model for moral guidance, philosophy of science might do well to take a page from Aristotle’s moral philosophy and to seek practical guidance akin to that found in Aristotle’s Ethics.