Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to explore the social consequences of recent developments in moral psychology aimed at psychologizing morality: developments that Jonathan Haidt terms ‘the new synthesis’ (NS). As a prelude, I diagnose what in the content of the NS undergirds those consequences and how it differs from the Aristotelian alternatives with which it is commonly contrasted. More specifically, I explore the NS’s take on moral ontology, moral motivation, moral ecology and moral domains. In all cases, I deem the response offered by the NS to radical rationalism hyperbolic and argue that Aristotelianism provides a more plausible, if more moderate, alternative. In the final section, I address the putative social consequences of the NS, both general consequences for public conceptions of the moral life and more specific consequences for moral education at school. In both cases, I argue that the consequences of adopting the NS position range from the unfortunate to the outright pernicious.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Dual-Process Theories in Moral Psychology |
Subtitle of host publication | Interdisciplinary Approaches to Theoretical, Empirical and Practical Considerations |
Editors | Cordula Brand |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 249-270 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Edition | 1 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9783658120535 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783658120528 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2016 |