George Santayana (1863–1952)

Abstract This chapter explores the moral philosophy developed by George Santayana over the course of decades of systematic writing. While Santayana portrayed himself as an “outsider” to the pragmatist tradition, there are methodological consonances that surface in how he interrogates our moral language and moral practices. Santayana’s discussion of the nature of moral judgments in comparison with aesthetic judgments, and what they reveal about our individual constitutions, leads him to stress the importance of honesty and wisdom. When it comes to pulling ourselves together as individuals and within communities, Santayana argues that we should take harmony as our guiding normative concept.