Moral Psychology, Volume 2

Ebooks Free Download | Moral Psychology, Volume 2 | For much of the twentieth century, philosophy and science went their separate ways. In moral philosophy, fear of the so-called naturalistic fallacy kept moral philosophers from incorporating developments in biology and psychology. Since the 1990s, however, many philosophers have drawn on recent advances in cognitive psychology, brain science, and evolutionary psychology to inform their work. This collaborative trend is especially strong in moral philosophy, and these three volumes bring together some of the most innovative work by both philosophers and psychologists in this emerging interdisciplinary field This second volume of the series on moral psychology continues the fine quality of the first, but with a different emphasis. This time the contributors discuss what role cognitive science has in morality and ethics, but the most important part of the book is in addressing the question of why there is so much variability in ethical doctrines and social mores throughout the peoples of the world. Such diversity raises doubts on the truth of the assertion of a "universal" ethical foundation that is applicable in all cultures and contexts.

The debate on moral diversity takes the form of convergent versus divergent moral realism and is strongly dependent on the ability of each individual to conceptualize or intuit moral concepts. The "common" or "folk theory" usage of moral concepts may be very different than what "professional" philosophers put forward as ethical theories. Even further, and maybe even more interesting, is the (very plausible) assertion made in a few places in the book that contributions by professional philosophers are even completely unnecessary in dialog on ethics and morality. The arguments put forward for this are very convincing but not final, for the fact that philosophers are generally absent in everyday life when real decision-making is taking place raises considerable doubt on the need for their ideas or presence. They have no "dog in the fight" to quote one contributor to the volume. Other contributors though are not so quick to judgment, presenting the need and efficacy of the thought experiments and "armchair" methods of professional philosophers.

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