Take-Home Exam One
Review the biological/explanations for the development of morality. What are their limitations?
Explanations by the natural sciences and by the social sciences indeed have their limitations. Historically, the two disciplines have forged ahead in separate directions yet in today’s scientific communities, natural science is becoming evermore involved in the research of morality (Frerichs & Münich, 2010, p. 529-530). The reintroduction of the study of morality to the sciences has sparked new thinking across disciplines, particularly in those of natural science. Frerichs and Munich (2010) reason, “individuals are nothing without their bodies” (p. 531). These kinds of perspectives are what I believe to ignite the interdisciplinary studies of morality, neuroscience and philosophy, for example. Hitlin and Vaisey (2010) claim, “brains that are wired to draw moral distinctions” and such distinctions “did not develop in a vacuum” (p. 9). Such acknowledgements impose limitations on the objectivity of research conducted in this new interdisciplinary space because the researchers have an unfettered opportunity to assert their own values.
Such values are naturally occurring as Frerichs and Münich (2010) explain there is a “natural predisposition of human brains” (p. 534). The only way to move past these limitations are to move away from ‘value relations’ and towards a view of ‘commonalities of the world view.’ By doing so, we broaden the scope of our research and encourages our research to draw conclusions on humanity versus population X. Of course, this may not be a viable research methodology given resource constraints. Nonetheless, such an aspiration sets us in the right direction to transcend beyond the limits of current ...
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... of the Sociology of Morality (pp. 15-33). New York, NY: Springer.
Definition of Morality, The. (2002 April 17). Retrieved 2014 June 22, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/morality-defintion/
Frerichs, S., Münich, R. (2010). Morality, Modernity, and World Society. In S. Hitlin, S. Vaisey (Ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (pp. 15-33). New York, NY: Springer.
Hitlin, S., Vaisey, S. (2010). Back to the Future: Reviving the Sociology of Morality. In S. Hitlin, S. Vaisey (Ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (pp. 3-13). New York, NY: Springer.
Lukes, S. (2010). The Social Construction of Morality. In S. Hitlin, S. Vaisey (Ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (pp. 549-560). New York, NY: Springer.
Mehta, J., Winship, C. (2010). Moral Power. In S. Hitlin, S. Vaisey (Ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Morality (pp. 15-33). New York, NY: Springer.
Moral regulation has been – and still is – a very heated topic for discussion. In chapters two and three of his book, Governing Morals: A Social History of Moral Regulation, author Alan Hunt speaks of various social organizations and their different attempts at moral regulation projects from the late 18th to early 20th century. Although the two chapters flow into each other, and time turns from one century to the next, various and complex societal changes, and in turn, approaches to moral regulation are noted. Said changes to society and regulatory approaches include evolving civil associations, the incorporation of character and females into the social sphere, and shifts away from the church. As society changes, so does the approach to, and implication of, moral regulation projects.
Principles of Morality. Seattle: Ponster Printing, pp. 89-92. 2010. Print. The. Gevinson, Matilda.
On The Genealogy of Morals, Essay I refers to the second stage of human morality—the emergence of the concepts of "Good" and "Evil" as categories o...
Rachels, James, and Stuart Rachels. "7,8,9,10." In The elements of moral philosophy. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. 97-145.
Adler, Patricia A., and Adler Peter. Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction. 6th ed. Belmont: Thomas/Wadsworth, 2009.
Graham, Jesse and Johnathan Haidt. 2011. The Social Psychology of Morality: Exploring the Causes of
In Western society and culture, religion and morality have often intertwined and they have reflected their values onto each other. Today it is sometimes impossible to make a distinction between the two, since their influence has transcended generations. In modern Western culture, religion and society preach conformity. In order to be a “good” person, one must conform to the values imposed by the church1 and state.
The first aspect of society that influences morality is observation—primarily, what children observe among their families. There are natural gender roles that are stereotypically embodied in a family. For
Arthur, John, and Scalet, Steven, eds. Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Eighth Edition, 2009.
Johnson, Robert, Johnson,. "Kant's Moral Philosophy." Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Feb. 2004. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Morgan, Michael L., ed. Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 5th ed. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2011. Print.
Shilling, C., & Mellor, P. A. (1998). Durkheim, morality and modernity: collective effervescence, homo duplex and the sources of moral action. British Journal of Sociology, 193-209.
Ducasse, Curt J. "Concerning the Logical Status and Criteria of Morality." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, April 9, 2014. 128. JSTOR.
Bellah, R. & Durkheim, E. (1973) On Morality and Society: selected readings. London: Chicago Press
When considering morality, worthy to note first is that similar to Christian ethics, morality also embodies a specifically Christian distinction. Studying a master theologian such as St. Thomas Aquinas and gathering modern perspectives from James Keenan, S. J. and David Cloutier serve to build a foundation of the high goal of Christian morality. Morality is a primary goal of the faith community, because it is the vehicle for reaching human fulfillment and happiness. Therefore, great value can be placed on foundations of Christian morality such as the breakdown of law from Aquinas, the cultivation of virtues, the role of conscience in achieving morality, and the subject of sin described by Keenan.