Philosophical and Psychological Reflections on a Political Conundrum
October 1, 2021
The seemingly irreconcilable differences tearing apart our political institutions have become a popular topic for philosophers to ponder. Karsten Stueber, professor of philosophy at 51С»Æ³µ, suggests that the current political conundrum is best approached from the perspective of moral philosophy and moral psychology, rather than as an epistemic problem. From that perspective, humans are to be viewed first and foremost as moralizing animals rather than moral agents. Moreover, new technologies such as social media undermine rules put in place to regulate our at times detrimental moralizing impulses. Whether or not our democracy will survive will depend to a large extent on our ability to rebuild and rethink such regulations.
Professor Stueber is well-known internationally for his scholarship on empathy and has widely published in the areas of philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, the philosophy of the social sciences, and meta-ethics. He is co-editor of (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and author of (A Bradford Book, 2010).
Part of the Department of Philosophy Colloquia Series and co-sponsored with the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.