Reactive Attitudes Research Articles

Punishment through Forgiveness in Workplace: Rediscovering Kiekegaard’s Knight of Faith in the Abraham Story on Punishment and Forgiveness

Punishment through forgiving is a useful conflict resolution technique that has many advantages in the workplace (for example, for team dynamics, staff members, organizations and dyadic relationships). However, significant conceptual issues have come to light, particularly as academics have started to look at forgiveness in the workplace. This study therefore focuses on punishment and forgiveness that staff members frequently use to overcome their unfavorable reactive attitudes. We conduct a critical review and analysis of the existing literature to identify key conceptual issues that are posing problems for the study of punishment through forgiveness in organizational behavior in order to better understand these problems. According to this study, only a punisher with the personal minds of a Knight of Faith could successfully implement an effective punitive process at work. The story of Abraham served as an example of how God, a Knight of Faith, repaired his relationship with Abraham through punishment and forgiveness. At the individual level, this procedure is comparable to the one used by Nelson Mandela in the South African. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in response to the Enron and WorldCom scandals, is used as an example of how traditional retributive approaches can be more ineffective in achieving reconciliation and reestablishing effective relationships. This study offers fresh, practical understandings of how to facilitate and effectively manage punishment through forgiveness in the workplace. Based on these observations, we concluded that unfavorable reactive attitudes can dominate a staff member's thoughts and keep them from having positive attitudes and feelings at work. As a result, employees frequently look for ways to effectively and productively get rid of their negative reactive attitudes.

Assessing Police Attitudes Toward Intervention in Gender Violence: the Role of Training, Perceived Severity, and Myths About Intimate Partner Violence Against Women

Abstract Purpose Even though evidence has broadly confirmed that public attitudes toward intervention shape the decision-making process when dealing with IPVAW events, rather less is known about what determines the police decision-making process. Research support that police attitudes toward intervention in IPVAW explain differences when police officers response to IPVAW events. This research analyzes the combined role of IPVAW myths, perceived severity, and IPVAW training in reactive (tolerance for IPVAW and minimal police involvement) and proactive (important police task and pro-arrest) police attitudes toward intervention in gender violence. Methods Drawing from snowball sampling, we collected responses of 211 Spanish police officers via online subject-recruitment platform. Results The main findings of our study confirmed that IPVAW myths lead to less proactive attitudes toward intervention both directly and through a reduction in the perceived severity of IPVAW. Importantly, we found a moderating role of IPVAW training, suggesting that the endorsement of IPVAW myths leads to less proactive responses, but only for untrained police officers. Conclusions Our findings suggest the importance of IPVAW training on police proactive attitudes toward intervention via IPVAW myths instead of perceived severity. Police training programs to both novice and experienced officers should be focused on confronting IPVAW myths in order to improve police perception, evaluation and involvement in gender violence events.

It’s a Fine Line between Sadism and Horror

Much has been written about the puzzling aesthetic appeal of horror films that include scenes of brutal, graphic violence. More recently, however, some philosophers have proposed that viewing certain horror films as a source of entertainment is morally problematic because of the impact they might have on our moral psychology. By contrast, Ian Stoner argues that viewing fictional depictions of violence in horror films is not morally problematic because horror films do not present violence in ways that risk damaging the kinds of reactive attitudes required to exhibit a well-functioning moral psychology. In this paper I note some the ways in which Stoner is correct about horror films, yet I argue that he has overstated his case for the permissibility of viewing all instances of horrific violence as entertainment.

Strawson’s Account of Morality and its Implications for Central Themes in ‘Freedom and Resentment’

Abstract We argue that P. F. Strawson's hugely influential account of moral responsibility in ‘Freedom and Resentment’ (FR) is inextricably bound up with his barely known account of morality in ‘Social Morality and Individual Ideal’ (SMII). Reading FR through the lens of SMII has at least three far-reaching implications. First, the ethics–morality distinction in SMII gives content to Strawson's famous distinction between personal and moral reactive attitudes, which has often been thought to be a merely formal distinction. Second, the ethics–morality distinction sheds light on the scope of moral responsibility in FR, which is narrower than commentators think. Third, Strawson's discussion of morality shows that he was not insensitive to issues of power, as several critics have claimed. The link between morality and power helps to make clear that Strawson allows for criticism of our moral responsibility practices.

RESPONSIBLE AGENCY: A HUMAN DISTINCTIVE?

AbstractWhile agent responsibility appears to be one of the clearest examples of a human distinctive, practices of holding responsible are bound up with social expectations and emotional reactions, many of which are shared with other social animals. This essay attends to the ways in which what Peter Strawson first identified as the reactive emotions, including notably anger, resentment, and indignation, are key to making sense of both the shared and distinctive features of responsible human agency. Like human beings, other social animals express a range of reactive emotions in response to others’ conformity with or violation of implicit social expectations and norms; human beings sometimes reflect on these reactive attitudes and their justifiability, asking whether and when it is appropriate to hold others accountable, blame, and/or punish them. We should recognize that we often praise and blame others for attitudes and desires which they have not chosen and over which they have no direct control, and that this is appropriate.

Present And Future Indonesian Maritime Leadership

After decades of being behind the back, the words sea and maritime have begun to be echoed again after President Joko Widodo's speech at the 9th East Asia Summit, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, 13 November 2014 which wished to make Indonesia a World Maritime Axis (PMD). In order to make PMD successful, the President and Cabinet Ministers lowered various policies and government action programs starting from the national level down to a lower and more realistic level. Like the sinking of ships carrying out IUU fishing carried out by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. PMD policy implementation invites a reactive attitude from countries inside and outside the Southeast Asian region. and there are big countries outside the region that seem not to support or oppose it. In the second period maritime issues are no longer visible, now it has been 8 years since the leadership of President Joko Widodo continues. The vision of making Indonesia the world's maritime axis seems to be swallowed up by time. The results of the execution of programs such as the construction of international standard ports and maritime highways are not yet clear. Indonesia still has a lot to improve itself. Even though development activities are currently focused on post-covid economic recovery and all anticipation of a new wave. The World Maritime Axis is no longer a major issue. However, at least the PMD program triggers the community and other elements of the nation to develop a sense of love and ownership of the sea. The results of the execution of programs such as the construction of international standard ports and maritime highways are not yet clear. Indonesia still has a lot to improve itself. Even though development activities are currently focused on post-covid economic recovery and all anticipation of a new wave. The World Maritime Axis is no longer a major issue. However, at least the PMD program triggers the community and other elements of the nation to develop a sense of love and ownership of the sea. The results of the execution of programs such as the construction of international standard ports and maritime highways are not yet clear. Indonesia still has a lot to improve itself. Even though development activities are currently focused on post-covid economic recovery and all anticipation of a new wave. The World Maritime Axis is no longer a major issue. However, at least the PMD program triggers the community and other elements of the nation to develop a sense of love and ownership of the sea.

Does contemporary recognition theory rest on a mistake?

My aim in this paper is to argue, contra Axel Honneth, that ‘the summons’ ( Aufforderung), the central pillar of Fichte’s transcendentalist account of recognition, is best made sense of not as an ‘invitation’, but rather as a second-personal demand, whose illocutionary content draws attention to the demandingness of responsibilities towards vulnerable agents. Because of this, the summons has good explanatory force in terms of disclosing the phenomenological dynamics of psychosocially and politically significant reactive attitudes. Under my reading, then, Fichte’s position, contra Honneth’s ‘negative’ treatment of it, is anything but an empty formalism that ‘fails to refer to subjects of flesh and blood’.

Domination, social norms, and the idea of an emancipatory interest

Domination, social norms, and the idea of an emancipatory interest

A Pluralist Approach to Joint Responsibility

A Pluralist Approach to Joint Responsibility

Perspectives and Attitudes of General Practitioners Towards Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological COPD Management in a Belgian Primary Care Setting: A Qualitative Study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous condition that requires multidisciplinary management. In Belgium, the treatment of COPD is mainly managed by general practitioners (GPs). Several clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) recommend the use of non-pharmacological treatments, such as pulmonary rehabilitation, and interdisciplinary care for COPD patients. Although considerable research has been devoted to addressing the multitude of reasons for the lack of adherence to these aspects of the CPGs, less attention has been paid to understanding the perspectives and attitudes of GPs that lead to this suboptimal implementation. This study aimed to 1) explore Belgian GPs' perceptions regarding COPD management in a primary care setting and 2) collect their views on the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation and interprofessional care in COPD management. A descriptive study, conducted between August 2014 and May 2015, used interviews from a sample of 30 Flemish GPs. Data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. COPD management was patient-centered, focusing on immediate symptom relief and reducing future risks through pharmacotherapy and proper patient education. Deviations from the CPGs were noted, with only a few GPs performing spirometry themselves. Conditions to prescribe respiratory physiotherapy were not well known. Some GPs remained unconvinced about the (cost-)effectiveness of respiratory physiotherapy despite the fast-expanding scientific evidence. Interprofessional care was limited to GP-respiratory physician (re)-referral and communication. GPs showed a reactive attitude towards interprofessional collaboration for non-pharmacological therapies, which is not in line with the proactive approach recommended in CPGs. GPs managed COPD patients mainly by reducing symptoms with pharmacological therapy. Integrated care regarding non-pharmacological treatments was not well implemented due to the obstacles in interprofessional collaboration. Future care models incorporating personalized care planning could provide a solution to manage COPD's complex healthcare demands.

Social pathologies of informational privacy

Social pathologies of informational privacy

Effectiveness of Foreign Refugee Handling Services by Kupang Regional Government with the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the service for handling the refugee from abroad in Kupang by the Regional Government of Kupang in collaboration with IOM after the delivery from the Kupang Immigration Detention Center and to examine the factors that cause the ineffectiveness of the foreign refugee handling services. This study uses qualitative research approach that focuses on analyzing the services for handling refugees from abroad in Kupang based on the concept of good service characteristics. The study found that the implementation of services for handling refugees from abroad in Kupang has not been effective due to: lack of participation by the Kupang Regional Government, lack of maintenance in the facilities and infrastructure in the shelter, lack of human resources officers at the shelter, local government feels not responsible for handling refugees, health services are less responsive, language barriers, Kupang local government does not have a database of refugees from abroad, lack of knowledge on refugee status and human rights enforcement by immigration officers, the reactive attitude of the refugees that reduce the trust of the Kupang Rudenim. In conclusion, the effectiveness of refugees from abroad handling services in Kupang which is managed by the Kupang Regional Government in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) is still not optimal if judged based on good service indicators.

How language shapes our minds: On the relationship between generics, stereotypes and social norms

In this article, we discuss the role of labels and generics referring to social kinds in mindshaping practices, arguing that they promote generalizations that foster essentialist thinking and carry a normative force. We propose that their cognitive function consists in both contributing to the formation and reinforcement of schemata and scripts for social interaction and in activating these schemata in specific social situations. Moreover, we suggest that failure to meet the expectations engendered by these schemata and scripts leads to the activation of “reactive attitudes” embedded in feedback loops of reactive exchange that are constitutive of our mindshaping practices.

A Challenge for the Scaffolding View of Responsibility

According to Victoria McGeer’s “scaffolding view” (SV) (McGeer 2019), responsibility is a matter of moral reasons-sensitivity (MRS) which, in turn, requires only a “susceptibility to the scaffolding power of the reactive attitudes, experienced as a form of moral address” (2019: 315). This claim prompts a prima facie challenge: doesn’t this susceptibility lead to doing the right things for the wrong reasons? Although the SV offers a nuanced and sophisticated answer to this challenge, one that moreover respects the social nature of moral knowledge and the fragility of moral motivation, it does not succeed. It redefines MRS to fit our responsibility practices in a way that overlooks our (fragile) capacity for “genuine MRS.” The first and primary objective of this paper is to contrast SV-MRS with genuine MRS. The second objective is to suggest that rather than redefining MRS (which is both unwarranted and costly), we should accept that there is a gap between our practices (and thus responsible agency) and genuine MRS.

Is punishment backward? On neurointerventions and forward-looking moral responsibility.

This article focuses on justified responses to "immoral" behavior and crimes committed by patients undergoing neuromodulation therapies. Such patients could be held morally responsible in the basic desert sense-the one that serves as a justification of severe practices such as backward-looking moral outrage, condemnation, and legal punishment-as long as they possess certain compatibilist capabilities that have traditionally served as the quintessence of free will, that is, reasons-responsiveness; attributability; answerability; the abilities to act in accordance with moral reasons, second-order volitions, or Deep Self. Recently leading compatibilist neuroethicists added the condition of not feeling alienated from desires motivating a person's action. This article argues against such attempts to determine conditions under which patients undergoing neuromodulation should be subject to negative reactive attitudes and legal punishment. Compatibilism should not be used to justify basic desert moral responsibility and legal punishment. Instead, a new way of thinking about the function of moral responsibility attribution is proposed for patients with neuromodulation. Their compatibilist capabilities should serve as important indicators for determining appropriate, forward-looking courses of action, such as quarantining and restorative treatment, to ensure the public safety and well-being of the patients.

Hatred as a moral feeling in war time

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of hatred in philosophic, psychological, and ethical aspects, and of its motivating role during the war. Explicating the philosophical un- derstanding of hatred, the author analyzes the “Treatise of Human Nature” by Hume and ex- plains the structure of hatred as the unity of the elements “cause-object-end” as well as the role of empathy in their genesis. In the article, the author proves that hatred as a passion is not a hu- man instinct or only an emotion, while having an intention towards the understanding of another person and ethical evaluation of his or her motives and actions. The author analyzes the psycho- logical structure of hatred as a durable complex of negative attitudes, motives, emotions, and dispositions of a person formed in individual and social existence. The multilevel way of experience and content of hatred explicated by the range from simple negation of other beings to the ex- pression of moral judgement and demand of the retribution of hurt and struggle against evil. The author analyzes the concept of hatred by R. and K. Sternberg as a negation of intimacy of the other combined with various emotions and commitments of a person to act. Based on that, the article discusses the possibilities of the acquisition of ethical content by hatred and analyzes the typology of hatred by J. Gee (simple hatred, prejudicial hatred, malice and spite, retributive hatred, and moral hatred). The author of the article argues that the higher forms of conscious and controlled hatred possess rational components and moral content. The author concludes that the retributive hatred as a reactive moral attitude towards the blame of the wrongdoer and the de- mand of holding him responsible is an appropriate form of motivation for the resistance during the war and the establishment of peace. This kind of hatred plays a legitimate role in a mature person’s moral life and can be ethically justified.

On the Normativity of Presumptions: Contrasting Kauffeld’s and Whatelian Accounts

On a Whatelian conception, a presumption is a “supposition … [that] must stand good until some sufficient reason is adduced against it.” This view may be understood as operationalizing a distinct quality of warrant for the acceptability of claims. Against this Whatelian conception, Kauffeld offers an account on which “ordinary presumptions are inferences based on suppositions regarding the risk of resentment persons face should they fail to live up to (often openly incurred) commitments.” On Kauffeld’s analysis, presumptions are distinguished according to a special kind of backing, or grounding, upon which presumed claims are based. This article contrasts these views according to the different accounts each provides of the normative mechanisms at work in, and underwriting, warranted presumption. Viable argumentative norms must be both objectively well-founded and effective in regulating the activity of argumentation. Whatelian conceptions seek to explain the effectiveness (specifically, the binding force) of presumptions in terms of an arguer’s recognition of their well-foundedness by providing an account of presumptions as particularly well-adapted to methodological features inherent in the activity of transacting reasons. By contrast, Kauffeld’s analysis reverses this order of explanation, explaining the well-foundedness (specifically, the validity) of presumption and presumptive inference in terms of its effectiveness (specifically its binding force) over agents. By identifying a class of presumptions that are inherently, and extra-argumentatively, binding upon agents in ways that can manifestly influence their behavioral calculations to make it the case that what is presumed is so, Kauffeld’s analysis of presumption normatively generates well-foundedness out of effectiveness. Thus, a distinctive and innovative feature of Kauffeld’s analysis of presumption is that it identifies a hitherto unrecognized dimension of normativity—namely, our extra-argumentative obligations and our reactive attitudes concerning them—as capable of underwriting warranted presumptive inference.

Strawsonian Incompatibilism

Abstract Although philosophers sympathetic to Peter Strawson's view in “Freedom and Resentment” tend to be compatibilists, they need not be. This paper develops a recent suggestion that Strawson's view can be read as consistent with libertarianism by showing that an important distinction Strawson makes between personal and moral reactive attitudes leaves room to be a Strawsonian compatibilist with respect to personal responsibility and a Strawsonian incompatibilist with respect to moral responsibility. Understanding this possibility reveals a potential gap within Strawson's argument that should be of interest to both Strawsonians and their critics.

Anger and the investigative journalist

What is the place of anger in the work of journalism? Based on a discourse analysis of investigative journalists’ reflections on the role of anger in their work, this paper explores common understandings of the utility and ‘proper place’ of anger in journalism. I argue that anger can be usefully theorised by drawing on P.F. Strawson’s account of anger as a reactive attitude and Amia Srinivsasan’s account of anger having dimensions of aptness and prudence. In contrast to existing work arguing for a norm proscribing emotion in journalistic texts, anger forms a valued component in the work of investigative journalists, albeit one with important norms around its control and management.

Taking the Straight Path. P.F. Strawson's Later Work on Freedom and Responsibility

I highlight three features of P.F. Strawson’s later, neglected work on freedom and responsibility. First, in response to a criticism by Rajendra Prasad, Strawson explicitly rejects an argument put forward in ‘Freedom and Resentment’ against the relevance of determinism to moral responsibility. Second, his remarkable acceptance of Prasad’s criticism motivates him to take the ‘straight path’, that is, to be straightforward about the relation between determinism, freedom, the ability to do otherwise and the conditions of responsibility. He claims that the ability to do otherwise is a necessary condition of responsibility and provides a list of additional conditions, including a knowledge condition. Third, he clarifies the relation between responsibility, quality of will and the reactive attitudes. The latter do not figure essentially in his answer to the question, ‘What are the conditions of responsibility?’, but they do play an essential role in his answer to the question, ‘Why do we have the concept of responsibility?’ We have it, Strawson suggests, because of our natural concern about the quality of will with which people act, a concern expressed in our reactive attitudes. I argue that, although Strawson’s later work definitely involves a shift of emphasis when compared to ‘Freedom and Resentment’, his overall account of freedom and responsibility is coherent. The later work helps to better understand the nature and significance of Strawson’s contribution, and to identify problems with common interpretations of and objections to ‘Freedom and Resentment’.