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Moral Character (moral + character)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

The Perils of Cognitive Enhancement and the Urgent Imperative to Enhance the Moral Character of Humanity

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY, Issue 3 2008
INGMAR PERSSON
abstract As history shows, some human beings are capable of acting very immorally.1 Technological advance and consequent exponential growth in cognitive power means that even rare evil individuals can act with catastrophic effect. The advance of science makes biological, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction easier and easier to fabricate and, thus, increases the probability that they will come into the hands of small terrorist groups and deranged individuals. Cognitive enhancement by means of drugs, implants and biological (including genetic) interventions could thus accelerate the advance of science, or its application, and so increase the risk of the development or misuse of weapons of mass destruction. We argue that this is a reason which speaks against the desirability of cognitive enhancement, and the consequent speedier growth of knowledge, if it is not accompanied by an extensive moral enhancement of humankind. We review the possibilities for moral enhancement by biomedical and genetic means and conclude that, though it should be possible in principle, it is in practice probably distant. There is thus a reason not to support cognitive enhancement in the foreseeable future. However, we grant that there are also reasons in its favour, but we do not attempt to settle the balance between these reasons for and against. Rather, we conclude that if research into cognitive enhancement continues, as it is likely to, it must be accompanied by research into moral enhancement. [source]

Science and Virtue: An Essay on the Impact of the Scientific Mentality on Moral Character.

THE HEYTHROP JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008
By Louis Caruana
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Reconciling situational social psychology with virtue ethics

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 3 2008
Surendra Arjoon
For the past four decades, debate has occurred in respect of situational social psychology and virtue ethics. This paper attempts to reconcile this debate. Situationists propose a fragmentation theory of character (each person has a whole range of dispositions, each of which has a restricted situational application) and do not subscribe to a regularity theory of character (behaviour is regulated by long-term dispositions). In order to support this view, they cite a number of experiments. It is proposed that the substantive claims made by situationist social psychologists, for the most part, do not undermine or disagree with an Aristotelian virtue ethics perspective, but stem from a misunderstanding of concepts of moral character, faulty conclusions and generalizations in respect of experimental results. Situationists take a narrow view of character and morality. Evidence from organizational behaviour and managerial research literature supports the view that both situational (organizational) features and inner characteristics (including virtues) are powerful influences and determinants of morally upright and morally deviant behaviour. The role of practical judgement in bridging these views is discussed. As a way forward in reconciling situational social psychology with virtue ethics, the paper proposes an Aristotelian,Thomistic framework to overcome some of the problems associated with inadequate regulative ideals in building a normative moral theory. [source]

Pondering the Sinlessness of Jesus Christ: Moral Christologies and the Witness of Scripture

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 4 2008
IVOR J. DAVIDSON
The models that typically emerge in modernity face major difficulties. This article seeks to reorient the discussion of sinlessness in biblical terms, and suggests that scripture's witness points toward an account of the moral character of Jesus as grounded specifically in inner-divine relations rather than in any sort of idealism. Such a trinitarian account also raises questions about some conventional approaches to the metaphysics of sinlessness. [source]

Reactions to a Motor-Vehicle Accident in Relation to Mitigating Circumstances and the Gender and Moral Worth of the Driver,

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2000
NORMAN T. FEATHER
Male and female students (N= 153) at the Flinders University of South Australia read scenarios describing a motor-vehicle accident that varied mitigating circumstances (driving on a slippery road vs. driving at high speed), gender of driver, and the moral worth of the driver (very dependable and trustworthy vs. not dependable and a bit untrustworthy). Results showed that mitigation affected judgments about the driver's responsibility, seriousness of the offense, driver's deservingness of penalty imposed, harshness of penalty, positive affect about the penalty, and sympathy for the driver, consistent with a social cognitive process model (Feather, 1996c, 1998). Moral worth affected judgments about the driver's moral character, harshness of penalty, and liking and sympathy for the driver. Participants attributed higher moral character to the female driver and also reported more liking for the female driver. There was some limited evidence for an in-group gender bias. [source]

A Just Measure of Forgiveness: Reforming Occupational Licensing Regulations for Ex-Offenders Using BFOQ Analysis

LAW & POLICY, Issue 1 2008
KAROL LUCKEN
In the United States, over 600,000 offenders rejoin society annually, though little has been done to facilitate their transition from the prison to the community. Offender reentry into the workplace has emerged as a particular concern, given that many statutes prohibit public employment for ex-offenders and create obstacles to private-sector employment through occupational licensing requirements. These mandates may explicitly reject ex-offenders, or require "good moral character" or job/relationship tests that all but eliminate meaningful employment options. Several states are reconsidering the implications of these prohibitions, but a clear framework for assessing the validity of exclusionary occupational mandates is often lacking. This article proposes that the bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) defense found in employment discrimination law provides a helpful framework for guiding these reform efforts. [source]

The emotional foundations of high moral intelligence

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 129 2010
Darcia Narvaez
Moral intelligence is grounded in emotion and reason. Neuroscientific and clinical research illustrate how early life co-regulation with caregivers influences emotion, cognition, and moral character. Triune ethics theory (Narvaez, 2008) integrates neuroscientific, evolutionary, and developmental findings to explain differences in moral functioning, identifying security, engagement, and imagination ethics that can be dispositionally fostered by experience during sensitive periods, but also situationally triggered. Mature moral functioning relies on the integration of emotion, intuition, and reasoning, which come together in adaptive ethical expertise. Moral expertise can be cultivated in organizations using the integrative ethical education model. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]