Abstract: In this chapter, Taye explores Dewey’s pragmatist ethics in Human Nature and Conduct (1922) showing how it assists in addressing daunting challenges of healthcare allocation in sub-Saharan Africa. Given resource scarcity, economic dependency, and externally imposed policies in sub-Saharan nations, Dewey’s approach provides a context-sensitive, deliberative, and participatory model for decision-making. Traditional bioethical models, such as principlism, are often criticized for their Western-centric assumptions and rigid deductive logic. Pragmatism, by contrast, emphasizes empirical inquiry, interdisciplinarity, and social engagement. Dewey’s ethics reject fixed principles, favoring adaptive problem-solving that responds to local contexts. Sub-Saharan Africa’s healthcare systems struggle under colonial legacies and international interventions, with policies imposed top-down. Global allocation models, including cost-effectiveness metrics and donor-driven frameworks, often fail to align with local needs. A more suitable approach must incorporate community participation and indigenous health perspectives. Dewey’s alternative emphasizes public deliberation, ensuring stakeholder engagement at all levels. Education plays a foundational role in fostering collective problem-solving and rebuilding institutions. Rather than relying on externally imposed ethical frameworks, African healthcare systems must develop their own allocation models through participatory governance. Taye concludes that a Deweyan pragmatist approach offers a promising path toward ethical and effective healthcare distribution in the region.

This chapter starts by framing the larger debate concerning universalism versus contextualism in ethics, largely mirroring the one between positivism and relativism in science. It proposes that pragmatism transcends this dichotomy by considering the role of general (and particular) ethical norms and values in context and by focusing on moral deliberation. The pragmatist approach to ethics is described before discussing the ways in which ethical concerns and forms of reasoning accompany every phase of a research project. The practice of using deception, which is both widespread and controversial in social and psychological research, is reflected upon. Finally, the chapter ends with considerations regarding mixed methods, multi-resolution designs, and their ethical commitments.