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Stereotypes violate the postmodern construction of personal autonomy
1Department of Sociology,Emory University,Atlanta,GA 30322.chris.martin.e@gmail.comwww.chriscmartin.com.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 23, 2017
Summary
Stereotypes violate individual autonomy, yet social clustering creates some accuracy. Understanding the constructed nature of selfhood and adaptive social clustering can resolve this ethical tension.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Postmodern Philosophy
- Ethics
Background:
- Postmodern concepts of individual autonomy are challenged by stereotypes.
- Stereotype accuracy presents a moral dilemma, conflicting with autonomy.
- Social forces homogenize individuals, leading to stereotype accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the tension between individual autonomy and stereotype accuracy.
- To examine the role of social forces in stereotype formation.
- To propose a resolution for the moral unpalatability of stereotype accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of postmodern selfhood.
- Philosophical examination of autonomy and stereotypes.
- Explanation of the adaptive nature of social clustering.
Main Results:
- Stereotypes inherently violate postmodern individual autonomy.
- Social homogenization, while creating accurate stereotypes, is an adaptive process.
- The constructed nature of selfhood is key to understanding this phenomenon.
Conclusions:
- Reconciling autonomy and stereotype accuracy requires understanding the constructed nature of selfhood.
- Explaining the adaptive functions of social clustering can mitigate ethical concerns.
- This framework offers a path toward a more nuanced ethical evaluation of stereotypes.
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