What does it mean to “cultivate an X based morality” and why should we do it? Why should we have an any-one-thing based morality? Obviously picking one moral emotion and only teaching and encouraging that is likely to leave important moral judgments out. I don’t think even Peter Singer is recommending that. Nonetheless, empathy seems to have a central if not exclusive role in the motivation and development of lots of really important moral judgments. That empathy is not necessary for all moral judgments does not mean that it can be systematically replaced by other moral emotions in cases where it is central. Helping people is good! We should teach children to help people and laud those who do.
I’m not sure section 5 says… anything at all. All of the things said about empathy in this section are true of people. Try substituting one for the other. Which is to say, they’re true for lots of other behaviors and emotions as well. Pointing out that biases affect empathy isn’t helpful unless one has found a different moral emotion which inspires a extensionally similar moral judgment (one that leads to the same behaviors) that combines the motivational force of empathy without the vulnerability to bias. Anyone have candidates for that?
Edit: Prinz’s suggestion is “outrage”. He says we should get angry and indignant at the causes of suffering- claiming that this has more motivational power than empathy. This may be the case—but outrage tends to come with empathy (unless the outrage is directed at something causing oneself harm) so it isn’t clear how to evaluate this claim. More importantly, I see no reason at all to think outrage is less subject to bias. It can certainly be subject to in-group bias, proximity effects, salience effects. It can be easily manipulated. It also leads to people looking for an enemy where there isn’t necessarily one. This leads to people ignoring causes of suffering like economic inefficiencies and institutional ineffectiveness in favor of targeting people perceived as greedy. A bit richly, he condemns the ‘empathy-inspired’ moral system of collectivism by referencing collectivist atrocities… as if they had nothing to do with outrage.
I sometimes have a feeling where I see people being preferential towards people they like and insensitive towards those that they don’t and having a mixed feeling of “aww that’s nice” and “eurgh this scales badly into nasty things”. Part of this feeling is the feeling that the people acting preferentially are acting in a way that feels nice and is all warm and fuzzy, while another part is that humans have lots of icky moral bugs that make bad things happen.
It is my understanding that outrage is the result of ‘selective empathy’ if at all, and VERY often completely lacking in empathy. E.g. When a group of people are outraged to a gay couple for having gay sex. Ok, so where is empathy in this case? Victimless crime evoking huge deontological moral self-righteousness and anger.
What does it mean to “cultivate an X based morality” and why should we do it? Why should we have an any-one-thing based morality? Obviously picking one moral emotion and only teaching and encouraging that is likely to leave important moral judgments out. I don’t think even Peter Singer is recommending that. Nonetheless, empathy seems to have a central if not exclusive role in the motivation and development of lots of really important moral judgments. That empathy is not necessary for all moral judgments does not mean that it can be systematically replaced by other moral emotions in cases where it is central. Helping people is good! We should teach children to help people and laud those who do.
I’m not sure section 5 says… anything at all. All of the things said about empathy in this section are true of people. Try substituting one for the other. Which is to say, they’re true for lots of other behaviors and emotions as well. Pointing out that biases affect empathy isn’t helpful unless one has found a different moral emotion which inspires a extensionally similar moral judgment (one that leads to the same behaviors) that combines the motivational force of empathy without the vulnerability to bias. Anyone have candidates for that?
Edit: Prinz’s suggestion is “outrage”. He says we should get angry and indignant at the causes of suffering- claiming that this has more motivational power than empathy. This may be the case—but outrage tends to come with empathy (unless the outrage is directed at something causing oneself harm) so it isn’t clear how to evaluate this claim. More importantly, I see no reason at all to think outrage is less subject to bias. It can certainly be subject to in-group bias, proximity effects, salience effects. It can be easily manipulated. It also leads to people looking for an enemy where there isn’t necessarily one. This leads to people ignoring causes of suffering like economic inefficiencies and institutional ineffectiveness in favor of targeting people perceived as greedy. A bit richly, he condemns the ‘empathy-inspired’ moral system of collectivism by referencing collectivist atrocities… as if they had nothing to do with outrage.
So he’s outraged by people basing their moral decisions on empathy? I’m… not sure how to empathise with that emotion.
I sometimes have a feeling where I see people being preferential towards people they like and insensitive towards those that they don’t and having a mixed feeling of “aww that’s nice” and “eurgh this scales badly into nasty things”. Part of this feeling is the feeling that the people acting preferentially are acting in a way that feels nice and is all warm and fuzzy, while another part is that humans have lots of icky moral bugs that make bad things happen.
Could you empathize with that?
It is my understanding that outrage is the result of ‘selective empathy’ if at all, and VERY often completely lacking in empathy. E.g. When a group of people are outraged to a gay couple for having gay sex. Ok, so where is empathy in this case? Victimless crime evoking huge deontological moral self-righteousness and anger.