Papers Published
- Wong, D, Emotion and the Cognition of Reasons in Moral Motivation,
Philosophical Issues (metaethics issue of Nous), vol. 19
(October, 2009),
pp. 343-367.
(last updated on 2024/04/24)
Abstract: In some recent work I have developed a theory of moral reasons and
their relation to the agent’s motivations. The theory is naturalistic in its
approach, meaning that it seeks to integrate a conception of what moral
reasons are and how they motivate with the best and most relevant science
we currently have. I here develop my theory of moral reasons in relation to
some of the most recent work in psychology on the nature of emotion and
the ways in which it both underpins and undermines cognition. While the
results in these fields are still evolving and to a degree speculative, there is
enough there that ought to command the attention of philosophers with a
naturalistic bent, and to challenge philosophers who do not possess such a
bent. I also apply my theory of moral reasons to a real life case in which
emotionally charged cognition changes a person’s motivations.
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