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Using fMRI to Dissect Moral Judgment
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Kantian indifference about moral reason.

Adam J Roberts1

  • 1Holywell Manor, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UH, United Kingdom.adam.roberts@oxon.org.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|September 12, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Philosophical arguments against moral reason rely on an unfounded link between moral and empirical optimism. This analysis shows how contemporary Kantians, like Christine Korsgaard, challenge this assumption.

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Area of Science:

  • Moral Philosophy
  • Kantian Ethics
  • Epistemology

Background:

  • Philosophical arguments challenging moral reason often assume a connection between moral optimism and empirical optimism.
  • This assumption, termed "optimistic rationalism" by May, underpins pessimistic views on moral reason.
  • Contemporary Kantian ethics offers a critical perspective on this linkage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the philosophical assumption underlying pessimistic arguments about moral reason.
  • To examine the concept of "optimistic rationalism" as presented by May.
  • To situate May's work within existing literature by exploring counterarguments from Kantian philosophy.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of arguments concerning moral reason and optimism.
  • Explication of May's "optimistic rationalism" concept.
  • Comparative analysis of May's claims with Christine Korsgaard's Kantian ethical framework.

Main Results:

  • Pessimistic arguments regarding moral reason are shown to depend on a contested philosophical assumption.
  • The assumption that philosophical optimists about moral reason must also be empirical optimists is critically evaluated.
  • Christine Korsgaard's Kantian perspective is presented as a resistance to this assumption.

Conclusions:

  • The link between moral and empirical optimism, central to pessimistic arguments, is philosophically questionable.
  • Kantian ethics, particularly through figures like Korsgaard, provides a framework for resisting the "optimistic rationalism" assumption.
  • Re-evaluating this assumption opens new avenues for understanding the nature and scope of moral reason.