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A Behavioral Analysis of Morality and Value.

Max Hocutt1

  • 1University of Alabama.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Morality is often seen as divinely guided, but historical theories suggest it

Keywords:
dutymoralitynaturalistic fallacyrelativityscientismutilitarianismvalue

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy
  • Ethics
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Historically, morality has been viewed as divinely ordained, guiding behavior towards an absolute good.
  • Philosophical traditions from Plato to Aquinas supported this divine, otherworldly view of morality.
  • Conversely, Protagoras's relativistic view of morality, emphasizing personal preferences and social customs, was largely overlooked until revived by empiricists like Hume and Mill.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-examine the historical dichotomy between divinely instituted morality and relativistic ethics.
  • To critique the 20th-century dismissal of naturalistic ethics as a fallacy.
  • To propose a behaviorist framework for understanding morality and duty.

Main Methods:

  • Historical analysis of philosophical and ethical theories.
  • Critique of the naturalistic fallacy and its reverse.
  • Application of behaviorist principles to ethical concepts.

Main Results:

  • The study identifies a historical tension between absolute and relativistic moral theories.
  • It argues that dismissing naturalistic ethics conflates ideals with actualities.
  • A behaviorist approach distinguishes between personal reinforcement (the good) and social reinforcement (duty).

Conclusions:

  • Traditional views of morality as divinely instituted are contrasted with relativistic perspectives.
  • The critique of the naturalistic fallacy is challenged by highlighting the reverse error of mistaking ideals for actualities.
  • Behaviorism offers a framework for parsing moral concepts into personally and socially reinforced behaviors.