Admission requirements
Admission to this course is restricted to:
BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including Philosophical Skills and one of the following combinations: Ethics and Political Philosophy OR Logica and Epistemologie.
BA students in Filosofie, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including Filosofische vaardigheden and one of the following combinations: Ethiek and Politieke filosofie OR Logica and Epistemologie.
Pre-master’s students in Philosophy who are in possession of an admission statement and who have to complete an advanced seminar.
Description
Moral psychology explores the nature of our moral agency by drawing on both philosophical analysis and empirical research from psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary theory. In this course, we examine how recent findings about human cognition, emotion, and behavior inform — and sometimes challenge — traditional ethical theories.
In this course, we will investigate the following topics and questions:
Evolutionary roots of morality, the role of intuitions and emotions in moral judgment, and what motivates us to act morally — or fail to do so.
Do we reason our way to moral conclusions, or are our judgments shaped by unconscious processes and gut feelings?
Are we genuinely altruistic, or is moral behavior ultimately self-interested?
How do emotions like empathy, guilt, and disgust shape our moral responses — and what happens when they are abnormal, as in psychopathy?
The implications of research on free will and moral responsibility, character and virtue, and the limits of self-control. Can we be held morally responsible if our decisions are shaped by unconscious processes or situational forces? Should we be skeptical of stable character traits, as some empirical studies suggest?
The applied dimensions of moral psychology: Could we — and should we — enhance moral behavior through technology or neuroscience? Can moral psychology be harnessed to promote moral progress, through education, nudging, or institutional design?
The course will have the form of a research seminar. For several sessions, students will be asked to write a brief summary of an argument from the daily reading or a concern about it.
Course objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students with a detailed knowledge of major issues in contemporary moral psychology.
Students who successfully complete the course will have:
a good understanding of the following key concepts: moral agency, moral judgment, free will, determinism, moral responsibility, character, virtue, situationism, moral motivation, altruism, empathy, emotion, reason, self-control, weakness of will, moral intuition, moral enhancement, nudging;
familiarity with central debates in contemporary moral psychology, including the roles of intuition, reasoning, and emotion in moral judgment;
insight into the evolutionary and psychological foundations of morality, including theories of altruism and the origins of moral norms;
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
pursue a philosophical and empirically informed approach to important topics in contemporary moral psychology;
recognize different psychological assumptions in ethical texts and evaluate their plausibility;
give a good presentation of one of the assigned texts (either alone or in pairs);
critically engage with important literature on the issues discussed.
Timetable
The timetables are available through MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar.
Class attendance is required.
Assessment method
Assessment
- Class Presentation (20%)
Each student will choose one of the offered articles on which their presentation (15 minutes) will be based. The aim is to focus on the main argument and provide two questions or points for further discussion.
- Final paper (80%) Students are expected to write a final paper (no shorter than 1500 words and no longer than 2000 words).
Papers should demonstrate that students are able to:
understand the assigned readings;
develop, articulate and defend their own philosophical standpoint in relation to those texts;
select and understand additional literature relevant to their main claim, and incorporate its important elements into their arguments.
Students are also required to attend seminars and to read the assigned literature.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
If the final mark is unsatisfactory, there is an option for re-examination by writing a 3000 word paper (100%). The mark for the resit will replace all previously earned marks for subtests. Class participation and the presentation are required for taking the resit.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
All texts will be made available at the beginning of the course.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga.
Remarks
Not applicable.