What does the cognitive science of morality have to do with ethics?
Dr. Owen Flanagan, Duke University
Monday, November 24th at 5:30 p.m., 118 Psychology
About Dr. Flanagan
Owen Flanagan is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Duke University and also holds appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology. He specializes in studies of the philosophy of the mind, cognitive science, moral psychology, and ethics.
Abstract
There are is's and there are oughts. There are facts and there are values and norms. And never the twains shall meet. You can't derive an "ought" from an "is." These ideas are common and support an intellectual division of labor between primatology, psychology, and the cognitive science of morality, on the one side, and moral philosophy and normative ethics, on the other side. I explain what if any mistake is involved in using knowledge from the human sciences in doing normative ethics and how to better understand prospects for healthy interaction between empirical moral psychology and normative ethics in both directions.
Suggested Reading
Owen Flanagan, Aaron Ancell, Stephen Martin & Gordon Steenbergen (2013). Empiricism and normative ethics: What do the biology and psychology of morality have to do with ethics? Behavior, 151, 209-228.[.pdf]