Since Peirce introduced the term “pragmatism” to the scene of philosophy in 1877 and 1878, this notion has received several nuances. James and Dewey strongly compromised it with the problem of action, and impelled its development into an ethic and democratic perspective that, in the last years, had echo in Richard Rorty’s thought. This article aims to explore the role of ethics and democracy in the so called classic pragmatism and the relationship between knowledge and morality, taking this last one from Nietzsche's thought. It is intended to show how classic pragmatism turns from epistemology to ethics and replaces knowledge with hope; a hope in the possibility of creating a better future.