A Psychological Approach to Ethical Reality
By- K. Hillner, Psychology Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
The pre-eminent 19th century British ethicist, Henry Sidgwick once said: "All important ethical notions are also psychological, except perhaps the fundamental antitheses of 'good' and 'bad' and 'wrong', with which psychology, as it treats of what is and not of what ought to be, is not directly concerned" (quoted in T.N. Tice and T.P. Slavens, 1983).
Sidgwick's statement can be interpreted to mean that psychology is relevant for ethics or that psychological knowledge contributes to the construction of an ethical reality. This interpretation serves as the basic impetus to this book, but Sidgwick's statement is also analyzed in detail to demonstrate why a current exposition on the relevance of psychology for ethical reality is necessary and germane.
Audience
For university students in the fields of psychology and philosophy with a bearing on the fields of sociology, economics, political science and anthropology.
Advances in Psychology
Hardbound, 236 Pages
Published: November 2000
Imprint: North-holland
ISBN: 978-0-444-50639-9
Contents
- Preface. Acknowledgments. Domain of the ought: prolegomena. Psychology: prolegomena. Why psychology is interested in ethics. Why a psychological analysis of ethics is necessary. Orientations; content of observation: types of moral judgments. Epiphenomena: domain of ethical phenomena. Epistemology: existential status of moral judgments/value qualities. Metaphysics: contentual ethical issues. Application: construction of an ethical reality. Bibliography. Name index. Subject index.
