Moral Psychology : A Contemporary Introduction

Preface





Part One: Moral Psychology and Moral Philosophy








What Is Moral Psychology?









What is moral psychology?







Distinguishing the questions







Distinguishing psychological states







Structure and aims of the book:












What Are Philosophers Doing Here?









Moral Agents or Blobs of Flesh







Moral Realism and the Challenge from Evolution







Responses to the Challenge







Moral Psychology and Moral Philosophy





Part Two: Motivation and Moral Motivation: The Basics






Moral Motivation: what it is and what it isn't









Moral Theories and Moral Motivation







The Challenge of Psychological Egoism







Psychological Egoism and Empirical Research







Taking Stock









Desires and Reasons









Some Background Distinctions







Reasons internalism and externalism







The Humean Theory of Motivation







Taking Stock








Part Three: Moral Motivation






Emotion & Moral Judgment









What is an emotion?







Emotions and Moral Judgment







Amoralists, Psychopaths and the Debate Between Moral Judgment Internalism and Externalism







Taking Stock












Sentimentalism and Rationalism:









Rationalism and Sophisticated Sentimentalism







The Kantian Challenge to Sophisticated Sentimentalism







The Empirical Threat to Rationalism







Taking Stock












Virtue









What kind of state is a virtue?







Are there any virtues?: The empirical challenge







Defending Virtue







Taking Stock








Part Four: Agency and Moral Responsibility






The Psychology of the Responsible Agent









Methodology







Real Self Theories







Normative Competence







Are we Competent?: Challenges from Psychology












Moral Responsibility, Free Will and Determinism









Free Will and Determinism







Intuitions and Experimental Philosophy







Libertarianism and the Challenge from Neuroscience







Can I Be Excused?








Part Five: Three Big Questions







Should I be moral?: Well-being and the good life









Prudential Reasons and 'Good For'







Theories of Well-Being







Psychological Evidence for the Well-being - Morality Link







Conclusion












How do we know what is morally right?: Moral psychology and moral knowledge









The Attack on Intuitions: Biases and Trolley-ology







Intuitions, Intuitionism and Reflective Equilibrium












Can you get an ought from an is?









Is and Ought: A Complex Relationship







Reducing Ought to Is












Final Thoughts
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"The best imaginable introduction to moral psychology. Unrivaled in clarity and scope, Tiberius offers a seamless and stimulating integration of cutting edge empirical research and foundational philosophical theories."


—Jesse Prinz, City University of New York Graduate Center


"Valerie Tiberius’s book is an instant classic—the definitive introductory textbook on philosophical moral psychology. It is wide-ranging and authoritative, synthesizing an enormous amount of information, both scientific and philosophical. It’s also a lot of fun. With her trademark wit and levelheadedness, Tiberius introduces readers to moral philosophy’s most challenging problems and explains how recent scientific discoveries are casting these old problems in a new light. This book is beautifully written, filled with colorful examples that convey Tiberius’ hard-won insights. Each of these chapters is fascinating in its own right, and together they tell a remarkable story that is just beginning. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to this exciting and rapidly advancing field."


—Joshua Greene, Harvard University


"This is the only text of which I'm aware—the very first one—on moral psychology. It addresses issues at the intersection of agency and normativity. It is a lively, well-written, thoughtful book that is perfect for upper-division undergraduate courses. It is also a good book to bring graduate students and even scholars up to speed on the issues in this area. Highly recommended."


—John Martin Fischer, University of California, Riverside


"Several recent volumes offer collections of readings in the exciting interdisciplinary field of moral psychology, and lots more courses now cover the difficult questions arising at the intersection of philosophy (meta-ethics, moral theory, action theory) and psychology (and other mind sciences). But until now, there has been no text to introduce students to these questions or to guide them through these readings. Valerie Tiberius is an intelligent, clear, and engaging guide. In Moral Psychology: A Contemporary Introduction, she covers a wide range of topics, including moral motivation, virtue, well-being and responsibility, and she manages both to present competing views fairly and　 to take a stand on which views she favors. Students will learn a great deal from this book. I certainly did."


—Eddy Nahmias, Georgia State University
show more

"The best imaginable introduction to moral psychology. Unrivaled in clarity and scope, Tiberius offers a seamless and stimulating integration of cutting edge empirical research and foundational philosophical theories."


-Jesse Prinz, City University of New York Graduate Center


"Valerie Tiberius's book is an instant classic-the definitive introductory textbook on philosophical moral psychology. It is wide-ranging and authoritative, synthesizing an enormous amount of information, both scientific and philosophical. It's also a lot of fun. With her trademark wit and levelheadedness, Tiberius introduces readers to moral philosophy's most challenging problems and explains how recent scientific discoveries are casting these old problems in a new light. This book is beautifully written, filled with colorful examples that convey Tiberius' hard-won insights. Each of these chapters is fascinating in its own right, and together they tell a remarkable story that is just beginning. It's hard to imagine a better introduction to this exciting and rapidly advancing field."


-Joshua Greene, Harvard University


"This is the only text of which I'm aware-the very first one-on moral psychology. It addresses issues at the intersection of agency and normativity. It is a lively, well-written, thoughtful book that is perfect for upper-division undergraduate courses. It is also a good book to bring graduate students and even scholars up to speed on the issues in this area. Highly recommended."


-John Martin Fischer, University of California, Riverside


"Several recent volumes offer collections of readings in the exciting interdisciplinary field of moral psychology, and lots more courses now cover the difficult questions arising at the intersection of philosophy (meta-ethics, moral theory, action theory) and psychology (and other mind sciences). But until now, there has been no text to introduce students to these questions or to guide them through these readings. Valerie Tiberius is an intelligent, clear, and engaging guide. In Moral Psychology: A Contemporary Introduction, she covers a wide range of topics, including moral motivation, virtue, well-being and responsibility, and she manages both to present competing views fairly and to take a stand on which views she favors. Students will learn a great deal from this book. I certainly did."


-Eddy Nahmias, Georgia State University
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Valerie Tiberius is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota
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