Moral Dispositions Research Articles

Contribution of Gandhian Thought to Corporate Responsibility

Mahatma Gandhiji transformed contemporary capitalists amidst the criticism from leftist quarters that he was working for a compromise in the interests of the Indian bourgeoisie. The purpose of this paper is to present a forerunner of today’s conversations in the world about corporate social responsibility (CSR). Gandhiji not only befriended a number of businesspersons but also advised them to consider their role as a steward of their wealth and businesses that they held. We intend to substantiate his pious intentions derived from his understanding of Bhagavad Gita, which suggested to him that one could enjoy one’s acquired wealth by renouncing it. Persuaded by such moral disposition, Gandhiji argued that it is the surest method to evolve a new order of life of universal benefit of all people in the society as opposed to the order in which most of us live for ourselves without regard to what happens to our neighbour. The paper is based on archival materials representing his conceptualisation and acceptance of trusteeship and the collaborations of the capitalists that lived in his times.

Fear and loathing in the academy? The role of emotion in response to an impact agenda in the UK and Australia

ABSTRACTThe research impact agenda is frequently portrayed through ‘crisis’ accounts whereby academic identity is at risk of a kind of existential unravelling. Amid reports of academics under siege in an environment in which self-sovereignty is traditionally preferred and regulation is resisted, heightened emotionalism, namely fear and dread, dominates the discourse. Such accounts belie the complexity of the varying moral dispositions, experiences and attitudes possessed by different individuals and groups in the academic research community. In this article, we attempt to examine the role of the affective in response to a particular research policy directive – the impact agenda. In doing so, we reveal the contributing factors affecting the community’s reaction to impact. In cases where personal, moral and disciplinary identities align with the impact agenda, the emotional response is positive and productive. For many academics, however, misalignment gives rise to emotional dissonance. We argue that when harnessed, further acknowledgement of the role of emotion in the academy can produce a more socially and morally coherent response to an impact agenda. We review academic responses from the UK and Australia (n = 51) and observe a community heavily emotionally invested in what they do, such that threats to academic identity and research are consequently threats to the self.

The Trend of Children’s Literature in the Nineteenth Century and Lambs’ Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Plays in Tales from Shakespeare

Shakespeare is one of the most authoritative authors in Korea. Lots of adaptations for young readers have been published. Though most of them are based on or are translated from Tales from Shakespeare written by Charles and Mary Lamb in 1807, they are circulated in the name of Shakespeare. And most readers think they read Shakespeare’s plays after reading these abridged versions in childhood. Strictly speaking, they didn’t read Shakespeare’s works because the abridged ones are contaminated or distorted by the adaptors’ way of thinking to some extent. William Godwin states that “I cannot tell what I should have been, if Shakespeare or Milton had not written”(140). This statement emphasizes works of Shakespeare or Milton contribute to a youth’s maturation and mind cultivation. The aim of this article is to survey meticulously Lambs’ adaptation and to check how they appropriate Shakespeare and to find its problems and limitations to promote a healthy and authentic consumption of Shakespeare in Korea. Lambs’ adaptation of Shakespeare for young readers was regarded as a very initiative and meaningful trial in post-enlightenment era when imaginative elements were excluded in children’s literature. In spite of that, it has lots of problems and limitations. The most serious problem is its oversimplifying the ambiguity and ambivalence of Shakespeare’s original texts. And its moral and didactic inclination goes against Shakespeare’s opinion the purpose of playing, “holding the mirror up to nature”(Hamlet 3.2.16). Therefore it is very regretful for many Korean readers to experience Shakespeare only through this version.

Character Cues and Contracting Costs: The Relationship Between Philanthropy and the Cost of Capital

Prior studies in business ethics highlight the role of philanthropy in shaping stakeholders’ perceptions of a firm’s underlying moral tendencies and values (“character”). Scholars argue that philanthropy-based character inferences influence whether and how stakeholders engage with firms. We extend this line of reasoning to examine the impact of philanthropy on firms’ contracting costs in the capital market. We posit that philanthropy-based character inferences reduce investors’ agency concerns, thereby reducing firms’ cost of capital. We also posit that the strength of the philanthropy–cost of capital relationship is contingent on uncertainty regarding a firm’s character, visibility of a firm, and prevailing philanthropic norms. We test and find support for our arguments in a longitudinal study of philanthropy and the cost of capital. Our findings have implications for business ethics research on corporate philanthropy and corporate social performance and for organizational research on social judgment.

The Virtues and Vices of Innovators

Innovation processes are extremely complex and opaque, which makes it tough or even impossible to govern them. Innovators lack control of large parts of these developments and lack of foreknowledge about the possible consequences of emerging technologies. Because of these features some scholars have argued that innovation processes should be structurally reformed and the agent-centered model of responsibility for innovation should be dismissed altogether. In the present article it will be argued that such a structural idea of responsible research and innovation presumes rational agents who can be motivated by reasons. Instead of dismissing the agent-centered approach to responsibility for innovation processes a virtue ethical approach will be developed. Virtues should be considered as the intellectual and moral dispositions presumed for good decision making. It will be shown that creativity and eagerness are creditable character traits that have a distinct positive value for managing the opaqueness of innovation processes. Such traits are mandatory for change and betterment. Furthermore, it will be argued that the notion of responsibility of innovators should not be understood merely as means for constraining them but also as a tool to perpetuate their integrity and happiness. Through discussing the captivating examples of Steve Jobs and the protagonist of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein it will be shown how to apply this virtue ethical framework for innovators in practice.

The Characteristics of Bodies and Ethnicity c. 900-1200

Examining synchronic and diachronic discourses of the body in relation to groups sheds light on concepts of ›ethnicity‹ from an emic perspective. From the tenth century, monks, first in Spain and later in North-Western Europe, began to compile lists of ethnic characteristics, summing up the virtues and vices of peoples. By the twelfth century, such enumerations of ethnic diversity featured in textbooks of rhetoric, collections of proverbs, and in poetry and prose. The ontology of ethnic characteristics likewise transformed from the religious-ethical to the medical. Early medieval monks catalogued the virtues and vices of groups loosely arranged according to an Evagrian or Gregorian ethical system of seven or eight cardinal sins and virtues, expounding the function of groups‹ moral dispositions, which were, in the eschatological history of salvation in both the past and the present, subject to free will. However, from the twelfth century, under the impact of Galenic humoral theory, students of the liberal arts began to attribute ethnic characteristics on biological grounds, referring in particular to the heredity influence of climate. In the same period, ethnic groups were now considered as entities dwelling in bounded territories that bore the stamp of their name, sometimes envisaged as a body politic. As such, the ethnotype, and its ruler, could stand as a pars pro toto for the ›nation‹.

Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice by John R. Donahue

Reviewed by: Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice by John R. Donahue Alisha Pomazon john r. donahue, Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice (New York: Paulist, 2014). Pp. 310 + xvii. $29.95. In Seek Justice That You May Live, John R. Donahue presents readers with his collective findings of nearly forty years of study on social justice and the biblical text. D. highlights Catholic social teaching, Vatican II’s mandate for a more biblically and theologically based social ethic (p. 2), and the idea that the “biblical material does not give direct precepts, but is necessary to inform the Christian imagination and moral dispositions” (p. 3). This combination of social ethics, moral imagination, and textual studies allows D. to offer his own reflections on the connections between social justice and the biblical text. More specifically, throughout the chapters, D. shows the process by which the concept of social justice is established in the biblical text and then later informs Catholic social teaching and action in the world. As he states, his hope is to help those who are concerned with social justice issues, and he hopes that his book will help them to “find material in the biblical texts and bibliographies to appropriate and integrate the Scripture into their own vital commitments” (p. 9). There are two types of chapters in the book. The first type looks at the broader themes of justice, covenant and law, creation and exodus. The second type examines these broader themes in specific biblical books, including the prophetic books, wisdom literature, the Gospels, as well as Pauline and Johannine writings. The final chapter “From Text to Life” offers methods of reading the biblical text. Each chapter contains a comprehensive section on further resources for use. Throughout, D. examines the themes of relationship, poverty, and the structures of power as a way of further investigating the establishment of social justice in the biblical text. Since D. is a NT specialist, it is no surprise that the chapter on social justice in Luke-Acts is the best of the book. Here, D.’s arguments concerning the various types of relationships in the biblical text (human–divine, human–human, human–world), poverty, and the structures of power coalesce into a gripping analysis of how Luke-Acts breaks down barriers that obstruct justice in the early church and in the world today. Specifically, the section on the barriers of religious hatred and division, which delves into the Samaritan stories, not only speaks to current social justice concerns and the need for memory and alternative stories but also provides concrete suggestions for how to enact social justice values in the political, social, and religious spheres. [End Page 709] Clearly D. is passionate about his subject matter, and his knowledge is apparent on every page. As a result, readers of this book are able to follow his lines of reasoning and will be engaged by his writing style. Often, books on social justice and biblical hermeneutics are overwhelming in scope. Although combining the two topics would seem to make the work even more overwhelming, D. deftly navigates between the two topics and illustrates how connecting social justice and biblical hermeneutics helps us to understand both topics separately and together. Moreover, D. avoids the pitfalls of “proof-texting” that are normal in treatments of social justice in the biblical narratives. That is, instead of trying to find a biblical verse that fits a social justice cause, D. shows how the biblical text itself generates, understands, and tries to both mitigate and eliminate that concern. There are, however, a few confusing features in the book. While D. is aware of the limitations in scope, as he chooses to reference some methodologies instead of others, he often uses texts that could be enhanced by the methodologies that are left out. For instance, he chooses to concentrate on liberation theology and leaves out feminist methodologies even when discussing women in the texts. Further, there is a shift in tone and style in the discussion of the OT texts vs. the NT texts. Whereas the tone and style...

Precarity of Work, Precarity of Moral Dispositions: Concern for Others in the Era of "Emotional" Capitalism

Precarity of Work, Precarity of Moral Dispositions: Concern for Others in the Era of "Emotional" Capitalism

El diagrama de vicios morales en ética eudemia II 3

This article provides an interpretation of the eloquent diagram of moral dispositions to be found at Eudemian Ethics II 3. In the first section the double thesis is defended according to which the third column of this diagram, integrated by a list of moral virtues, is an interpolation, and that the original two-column diagram, listing the moral vices, contributes in an original way to elucidating the intermediate nature of moral virtue. In the second section I examine the differences between the EE II 3 diagram and the diagram referred to in Nicomachean Ethics II 7, partly as an attempt to reinforce the thesis defended in the first section.

The Muckers: A Narrative of the Crapshooters Club by William Osborne Dapping

Reviewed by: The Muckers: A Narrative of the Crapshooters Club by William Osborne Dapping Rebecca Troeger (bio) The Muckers: A Narrative of the Crapshooters Club, by William Osborne Dapping. Edited by Woody Register. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2016. xvi + 266 pp. Cloth, 59.95; Paper, $24.95. Youse guys probaly think I dont know nothin' because I dont know how to speak swell English. Well, believe me, I'm no dub; even if I cant sling words. What I aint got in learning I've made up in experience, an' it'll take a good one to goldbrick me. I may look like a kid, but I aint no spring chicken, at that. . . . So long as I can earn me three squares a day, find some place to sleep at night, and get a heap o' fun along with it, I'm satisfied. Independence aint confined to the rich. Look at me. I aint worried about nuttin! (58) So opens the story of Spike, the young narrator of William Osborne Dapping's The Muckers, a fictionalized account of Dapping's childhood on the streets of New York's Upper East Side neighborhood, Yorkville, in the late nineteenth century. In this statement and throughout the narrative, Spike directly and aggressively challenges the reader's perceived assumptions and prejudices. Through its goal of exposing and explaining the urban poor to [End Page 253] an upper-class audience, Dapping's work invites comparisons to Stephen Crane's Maggie: Girl of the Streets or Jacob Riis's works on the New York slums, but as editor Woody Register emphasizes in his substantial introduction, this account is unique because it is told in the first person by one of the young "muckers" themselves. This volume, being the first publication of The Muckers more than a century after its composition, encompasses two narratives simultaneously. The first is the fictional narrative of Spike, Dapping's loosely autobiographical alter ego, and the second is Register's account of Dapping and the significance of his work. The text itself came to print somewhat by chance, as Register discovered it in the process of researching the history of the George Junior Republic, a reform school for at-risk boys in Freeville, New York. Syracuse University Press now offers this volume as the first of a series on this school and the lives of its "citizens" after their time there. This publication, which also includes ten photographs of the Republic and Yorkville, will be of interest to literary scholars and historians as a rare account to come directly from the young boys who dominated the street culture of late nineteenth-century urban America. As such, it presents a story that is ultimately ambivalent about the moral imperatives of the reform era. The absence of sentimentality and break from the moral tendencies of reform literature, as Register argues, was enabled by Dapping's refusal to publish the work under his own name. Although this refusal was also the most likely reason for his failure to find a publisher, it also allows the narrative to end not with Dapping's "up from poverty" narrative that took him to the George Junior Republic, then to Harvard, and later to a successful career in journalism, but with Spike's reassertion of the primacy of his experiences in New York. As Register emphasizes, the narrative depicts Spike and his gang as involved in increasingly cruel schemes involving robbery, physical assault, and destruction of property. Because Dapping does not reveal himself as the author, there is no resolution that puts a decisive end to these activities, and Spike's "Crapshooters" gang never atone for nor repudiate their sins. Rather, their behavior is shown to be a small part of the overall corruption that serves as the backbone of Yorkville society. Register's introduction concentrates on the Republic as a source for Dapping's views on adolescent development. The school's founder, William George, subscribed to emerging theories of adolescence exemplified by G. Stanley Hall, who proposed a period between childhood and adulthood during which humans naturally gravitate towards "tribal communalism" [End Page 254] (28). Rather than discouraging gang activity, the George Junior Republic promoted the values of...

The Presentation of the Second Catherine in Wuthering Heights

The second Catherine, though scarcely a popular figure with readers of Wuthering Heights down the years, may nevertheless be said to deserve critical attention for the skill with which she is presented in the novel. We note, for example, the extraordinary realism of her portrayal as someone conspicuous in her early adolescence for her clannishness and her stupidity, and that to such an extent as to make us perhaps all too easily inclined to overlook the virtues she is patently endowed with. Especially memorable in this respect is not only the remarkable courage she exhibits in sometimes very restrictive circumstances, but also the fact that her halting growth to maturity seems inextricably bound up with her strongly moral disposition and her exceptional capacity for love, informed as these virtues doubtless are by that essential fearlessness which Lockwood comes to recognize in her by the end of his narrative.

The split between Gall and Spurzheim (1813–1818)

ABSTRACTAn acerbic footnote in Volume 3 (1818) of the five-volume great work of Franz Joseph Gall and Johann Gaspar Spurzheim, Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General and of the Brain in Particular with Observations on the Possibility of Understanding the Many Moral and Intellectual Dispositions of Man and Animals by the Configuration of Their Heads, marked the end of the collaboration between Gall, the founder of organologie, and Spurzheim, promoter of phrenology. We discuss the background of this note and the nature of the rift that marked the end of Gall and Spurzheim’s collaboration.

Is there really an omission effect?

The omission effect, first described by Spranca and colleagues (Spranca, Minsk, & Baron, 1991), has since been extensively studied and repeatedly confirmed (Cushman, Murray, Gordon-McKeon, Wharton, & Greene, 2012). All else being equal, most people judge it to be morally worse to actively bring about a negative event than to passively allow that event to happen. In this paper, we provide new experimental data that challenges previous studies of the omission effect both methodologically and philosophically. We argue that previous studies have failed to control for the equivalence of rules that are violated by actions and omissions. Once equivalent norms are introduced, our results show that the omission effect is eliminated, even if the negative outcome of the behavior is foreseen and intended by the agent. We show that the omission effect does not constitute a basic, moral disposition but occurs exclusively in complex moral situations. Building on these empirical results, we cast doubt onto two influential explanations of the omission effect, the Causal Relevance Hypothesis and the Overgeneralization Hypothesis, and provide a novel explanation of the phenomenon. Furthermore, we discuss various ramifications of the interplay between our understanding of omissions and legal systems.

Are Utilitarian/Deontological Preferences Unidimensional?

Utilitarian versus deontological inclinations have been studied extensively in the field of moral psychology. However, the field has been lacking a thorough psychometric evaluation of the most commonly used measures. In this paper, we examine the factorial structure of an often used set of 12 moral dilemmas purportedly measuring utilitarian/deontological moral inclinations. We ran three different studies (and a pilot) to investigate the issue. In Study 1, we used standard Exploratory Factor Analysis and Schmid-Leimann (g factor) analysis; results of which informed the a priori single-factor model for our second study. Results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis in Study 2 were replicated in Study 3. Finally, we ran a weak invariance analysis between the models of Study 2 and 3, concluding that there is no significant difference between factor loading in these studies. We find reason to support a single-factor model of utilitarian/deontological inclinations. In addition, certain dilemmas have consistent error covariance, suggesting that this should be taken into consideration in future studies. In conclusion, three studies, pilot and an invariance analysis, systematically suggest the following. (1) No item needs to be dropped from the scale. (2) There is a unidimensional structure for utilitarian/deontological preferences behind the most often used dilemmas in moral psychology, suggesting a single latent cognitive mechanism. (3) The most common set of dilemmas in moral psychology can be successfully used as a unidimensional measure of utilitarian/deontological moral inclinations, but would benefit from using weighted averages over simple averages. (4) Consideration should be given to dilemmas describing infants.

Functional Psychopathy in Morally Relevant Business Decisions

Literature addressing organizational ethical behavior has focused intensely on cognitive moral development, and more recently the automatic and natural moral inclinations (i.e., moral intuitions). Research addressing the incapacity for moral reasoning, such as psychopathy, is rarely addressed in organizational behavior (Smith & Lilienfeld, 2013; Stevens, Deuling, & Armenakis, 2011). Our first aim is to develop a construct definition for functional psychopathy that is appropriate for organizational science and theoretically consistent with the extensive previous clinical and criminal research in this field. Second, we apply two versions of a scale not previously used in business research relative to moral judgments. This scale is a self-reported measure of functional psychopathy and is useful for its relationships with ethically relevant business decisions. Further, we examine which factors emerge as having the highest relationship with ethical decision making. Third, we seek to advance the usefulness of this construct by more precisely placing psychopathy within its nomological network. With these goals in mind, a combined sample of business school seniors (N = 418) participated in three studies. Findings indicate a significant influence of psychopathy over a range of ethically relevant business decisions, as well as negative correlations with factors of the Moral Approbation (Ryan & Riordan, 2000) and the Moral Awareness (Reynolds, 2006a) scales. We conclude with directions for future research and considerations for practice.

Ethics of the firm, for the firm or in the firm? Purpose of extrinsic and intrinsic CSR in Switzerland

Purpose Despite the increased recognition and emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a topic and highly formalised CSR control systems, numerous well-publicised problems and scandals often involving multinational enterprises (MNEs) continue to emerge. These companies are mostly extrinsically motivated in CSR. They operate with highly formalised CSR systems that, in many cases, miss the prevention of anti-social and illegal behaviour. This might reflect the failure of extrinsic CSR to integrate the ethical dimension and/or the failure of intrinsic CSR to formalise and thus benefit from economies of scale. Currently, the conviction is growing that if CSR is to have a meaningful impact, it should be a matter of intrinsic motives, morale and ethical values rather than a formalised management tool. This research aims to focus on a sample of small and large companies in Switzerland, aiming at a comparison of key motives for CSR related to actual CSR implementation, performance and company size. Design/methodology/approach The study examined two groups: seven owner-managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and seven managers of MNEs. Each group met for two focus group discussions that were qualitatively and visually analysed using MAXQDA. Findings The results show that CSR implementation in the examined Swiss SMEs is more related to moral commitment than to profit maximisation. These companies are often driven by soft assets, such as networks, by the nexus of mission and value set; by a system of initiatives and integrated behaviour; by proximity and informal, flat organisational structures; by the aspiration and ambition of craftsmanship or excellent service (instead of profit); by community involvement; by recruiting from the local community; by the willingness to grow slowly and steadily; by the avoidance of atomic markets; and finally, by the mental set up and sociological tradition of the stewardship concept. This contrasts with the extrinsically motivated approach of the MNEs under research. While MNEs follow their approach of “ethics for the firm that must pay”, the findings here identified potential transition cases of “ethics in the firm” and “ethics of the firm” within Swiss SMEs. This is consistent with others, resembling the need of this dichotomy to be revised. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectorial approach limits the degree to which motives can clearly be attributed to actual CSR performance or company size. Practical implications The results imply that policymakers, public institutions, scientific community, etc. should be careful when establishing systems that favour financial returns from CSR engagement, because, first, other research showed that a behaviour attributed to extrinsic motives is mostly perceived as dishonest and misleading, for instance, consumers. Second, extrinsic motivation might crowd out morale and paying lead actors for behaving altruistically or philanthropically might decline their intrinsic motivation. Notably, the crowding out of intrinsic motivation by extrinsic incentives is a phenomenon well-researched not only in regard to CSR but in various other areas linked to human behaviour. This has important implications for nearly every business operation, especially for mergers and acquisitions, as well as for the growth of businesses. Social implications It seems unsuitable to support social goods in intrinsic CSR by the implementation of a system of financial incentives (or consequences). Thus, an economic cost-benefit is inappropriate where CSR needs an ethical stand. The difference between extrinsic and intrinsic CSR is very difficult to bridge – both have powerful incentives and drivers preventing a potential cross-over. Originality/value In sum, this study showed that CSR is meaningful and justifiable even if it is not profitable in the first place or implemented in and managed through formalised systems. This leads to two conclusions: first, care should be taken when emphasising the extrinsic approach in relation to social goods and second, the cost of a possible mismatch in a climate of ethical principles might be substantial for societies’ moral inclination.

Did the Ancient Greek Novels Have Characters?

Did the Ancient Greek Novels Have Characters?

At the heart of morality lies neuro-visceral integration: lower cardiac vagal tone predicts utilitarian moral judgment.

To not harm others is widely considered the most basic element of human morality. The aversion to harm others can be either rooted in the outcomes of an action (utilitarianism) or reactions to the action itself (deontology). We speculated that the human moral judgments rely on the integration of neural computations of harm and visceral reactions. The present research examined whether utilitarian or deontological aspects of moral judgment are associated with cardiac vagal tone, a physiological proxy for neuro-visceral integration. We investigated the relationship between cardiac vagal tone and moral judgment by using a mix of moral dilemmas, mathematical modeling and psychophysiological measures. An index of bipolar deontology-utilitarianism was correlated with resting heart rate variability (HRV)-an index of cardiac vagal tone-such that more utilitarian judgments were associated with lower HRV. Follow-up analyses using process dissociation, which independently quantifies utilitarian and deontological moral inclinations, provided further evidence that utilitarian (but not deontological) judgments were associated with lower HRV. Our results suggest that the functional integration of neural and visceral systems during moral judgments can restrict outcome-based, utilitarian moral preferences. Implications for theories of moral judgment are discussed.

MORAL SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN THE ETHICAL THEORY OF TASAN CHŎNG YAGYONG

This study analyzes factors associated with moral success and failure in the ethical theory of Chŏng Yagyong (1762–1836), better known as Tasan. According to researchers who emphasize the cognitive and conative role of moral sentiments, moral success is ultimately driven by Tasan’s “moral mind” or “innate moral inclination.” According to them, moral sentiments are not blind, capricious feelings, but are able to intuitively perceive and discern good and evil; only by faithfully following one’s innate inclination toward good, is one well on the road to moral success. Tasan, however, in analyzing criminal acts in Hŭmhŭm sinsŏ (欽欽 新書; A new book on criminal law), notices a curious kind of moral failure caused by a strong moral emotion or passion toward socially endorsed moral virtues such as loyalty, filial piety and fidelity. Without much reflection on one’s inner mind or consideration on the proper method of one’s action, people fall prey to their “moral” emotions and commit crimes like taking revenge on the wrong person or committing suicide for the wrong reason. In his ethical theory, naturally, Tasan emphasizes not only moral sentiments and willpower but also the judging and weighing function of the mind, i.e., the cogitative mechanism of the spirit called kwŏnhyŏng (C. quanheng 權衡), literally meaning weighing and balancing. In this article, I attempt to describe the cogitative function of kwŏnhyŏng as judgment and decision and conclude that it is the actual and essential moral agency in Tasan’s ethical theory. Kwŏnhyŏng estimates and judges the issue at hand by inferring principles (K. ch’uri; C. tuili 推理), which is reminiscent of the rational and intellectual inference in Thomism. Although Tasan’s ethical theory was much influenced by Thomistic tradition, Tasan uniquely interprets “inferring the principle” as “inferring others’ minds from one’s own” (K. ch’usŏ; C. tuishu 推恕), which is a purely Confucian notion distinct from that presumed by Jesuit missionaries.

Teaching Ethics Informed by Neuroscience

ABSTRACTNew findings about the brain are explicating how we make moral and ethical decisions. The neuroscience of morality is relevant to ethical decision making in social work because of a shared biopsychosocial perspective and the field’s explanatory power to understand possible origins of universally accepted morals and personal attitudes at play in ethical dilemmas. The neuroscience of morality and the evolutionary theory in which it is grounded are recommended for inclusion in social work ethics courses. Advantages to students include understanding of origins of moral attitudes, contextualization of their moral inclinations and emotional reactions to ethical dilemmas, and understanding of how the brain helps or hinders situational ethical decision making. A sample course module outline is provided, as well as ideas for inclusion of the neuroscience of morality in other courses.