Reflection And Moral Behavior

August 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In the video below (via Pete Mandik), philosophers Josh Knobe and Eric Schwitzgebel discuss the extent to which thinking about morality can make them behave more morally by measuring whether ethics professors, who presumably think about morality the most often and the most systematically, are any more consistently moral or at least act more consistently [...]

Filed Under: Ethics, Ethics, Moral Psychology, Moral Psychology, Morality, Morality Tagged With: , Leave a Comment

My Perfectionistic, Egoistic AND Universalistic, Indirect Consequentialism (And Contrasts With Other Kinds)

July 25, 2010 By 7 Comments

A consequentialist assesses the ultimate worth of all the various features of our ethical lives according to whether or not they bring about some specific intrinsic good or goods that the consequentialist judges to be of primary value. All the various valuable features of our lives have their ultimate value with respect to how they [...]

Filed Under: Atheistic Ethics, Atheistic Ethics, Contemporary Ethics, Contemporary Ethics, Ethical Pluralism, Ethical Pluralism, Ethics, Ethics, Featured, Metaethics, Moral Psychology, Moral Psychology, Morality, Morality, My Theory of Morality's Rational Foundations and Nature, Philosophical Ethics, Philosophical Ethics, Teleology, Teleology, Virtues, Virtues Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

How Our Morality Realizes Our Humanity

July 11, 2010 By 5 Comments

In a previous post, I discussed the intrinsic connection between being and goodness and between functional activity and being.  I argued, for example that the various components of a heart need to function as a heart to be a heart and similarly that a human being must act morally to realize her humanity.  Specifically, I [...]

Filed Under: Contemporary Ethics, Contemporary Ethics, Duty, Duty, Ethics, Ethics, Featured, Historical Ethics, Historical Ethics, Historical Philosophy, Intellectual Virtues, Intellectual Virtues, Love, Love, Metaethics, Moral Psychology, Moral Psychology, Morality, Morality, My Theory of Morality's Rational Foundations and Nature, Nietzsche, Nietzsche, Philosophical Ethics, Philosophical Ethics, Philosophy, Teleology, Teleology, Virtues, Virtues Tagged With: , , , , , 5 Comments

Ann Druyan And Carl Sagan On The Empathic Ethical Behavior Of Humans Vs. Macaque Monkeys

July 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Really fascinating bit of radio audio discussing a variation of the Milgram experiment performed on macaque monkeys, comparing its results to when the actual Milgram experiment was first done on humans: Thanks to Amanda for the great find. Your Thoughts?

Filed Under: Ethics, Ethics, Moral Psychology, Moral Psychology, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Social Sciences Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Deciding Without Knowing It?

July 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In the paper “Predicting Persuasion-Induced Behavior Change from the Brain” from The Journal of Neuroscience , UCLA researchers reveal that they were better able to predict test subjects’ behavior days in advance by monitoring activity in the medial prefrontal cortex than by asking them what they would do.  Psyorg.com explains: The new study by Lieberman [...]

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“Ick Factor” Vs. “Projective Disgust”, Huckabee Vs. Nussbaum On The Source Of Aversion To Homosexuality

June 28, 2010 By 3 Comments

In the New Yorker, Mike Huckabee recently used the phrase “ick factor” in describing responses to homosexuality and when attacked for it, claimed he was taking it from the LGBT movement and from the work of philosopher Martha Nussbaum. Huckabee’s self-defense comes from his website: The reaction over a reported quote from my most recent [...]

Filed Under: Homophobia, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Homosexuality, LGBTQAA, Moral Psychology, Moral Psychology, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Sex 3 Comments