American pragmatism has made of the critique of the split between facts and values ​​one of the keys of his interpretation of Western culture, revealing not only the epistemological errors that underlie such dualism but also showing its ethical and political consequences.

Recent documents in the field of research ethics, especially those that come from the European Commission, show the correctness of that vision. They defend an interpretation of scientific research that clarifies and emphasizes the relevance of ethical values. They also suggest an understanding of democracy that underlines the importance of citizens’ attitudes and abilities.

In this way, democratic ethos and ethics of scientific research appear both in the European Commission documents and in pragmatic texts as two sides of the same analysis of reality: it is the consequence of taking seriously the collapse of the distinction between facts and values.