Ressource pédagogique : Debunking Morality A Hodgepodge of Multipurpose Kludges

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A venerable view, still very much alive in contemporary debates, urges that our spontaneous moral judgments reflect a deep wisdom, except when the processes underlying those judgments are interfered with by morally problematic forces. However, much recent work suggests that we should have a very different view of our spontaneous moral judgments. This work indicates that there is no one psychological system underlying moral judgments. Rather, there is a hodgepodge of different systems that pull in different directions. Moreover, some of these systems were designed to perform cognitive functions that have little to do with morality. When they are co-opted to play a role in moral judgment they often reflect aspects of these other functions. One example that illustrates this phenomenon is the intertwining of moral and causal judgments revealed by the work of Joshua Knobe. Other examples depend on the role of emotion in moral judgment. If the mechanisms underlying moral judgment are indeed a bricolage – a hodgepodge of multipurpose kludges – it poses a major challenge to those who believe that the pronouncements of those systems should be relied upon.

"Domaine(s)" et indice(s) Dewey

• Philosophie et psychologie (100)
• Processus mentaux conscients, intelligence (153)
• Éthique (170)
• Maladies du système nerveux. Troubles psychiques (616.8)

Thème(s)