
What's Wrong With Morality?
A Social-Psychological Perspective
C. Daniel Batson(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 10. December 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-19-935557-0 (ISBN)
Description
Most works on moral psychology direct our attention to the positive role morality plays for us as individuals, as a society, even as a species. In What's Wrong with Morality?, C. Daniel Batson takes a different approach: he looks at morality as a problem. The problem is not that it is wrong to be moral, but that our morality often fails to produce these intended results. Why? Some experts believe the answer lies in lack of character. Others say we are victims of poor judgment. If we could but discern what is morally right, whether through logical analysis and discourse, through tuned intuition and a keen moral sense, or through feeling and sentiment, we would act accordingly. Implicit in these different views is the assumption that if we grow up properly, if we can think and feel as we should, and if we can keep a firm hand on the tiller through the storms of circumstance, all will be well. We can realize our moral potential.
Many of our best writers of fiction are less optimistic. Astute observers of the human condition like Austen, Balzac, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Eliot, Tolstoy, and Twain suggest our moral psychology is more complex. These writers encourage us to look more closely at our motives, emotions, and values, at what we really care about in the moral domain. In this volume, Batson examines this issue from a social-psychological perspective. Drawing on research suggesting our moral life is fertile ground for rationalization and deception, including self-deception, Batson offers a hard-nosed analysis of morality and its limitations in this expertly written book.
Many of our best writers of fiction are less optimistic. Astute observers of the human condition like Austen, Balzac, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Eliot, Tolstoy, and Twain suggest our moral psychology is more complex. These writers encourage us to look more closely at our motives, emotions, and values, at what we really care about in the moral domain. In this volume, Batson examines this issue from a social-psychological perspective. Drawing on research suggesting our moral life is fertile ground for rationalization and deception, including self-deception, Batson offers a hard-nosed analysis of morality and its limitations in this expertly written book.
Reviews / Votes
Batson's starting point is the observation that moral life suffers from maladies: very often, we fail to live up to our own moral standards. ... According to Batosn, the real role of interpersonal morality is not to control our own behaviour, but that of others: "[...] we want to be treated morally, not to be moral oursevles" (177). ... When Batson looks for ways to strengthen moral behaviour at the end of his book, he does not really believe that true moral motivation can be substanially strengthed. * Cor van der Weele, Ethical Perspectives * Written in clear and often witty prose. . . this book will serve as a great introduction to the current state of moral psychology. * Kyle Furlane, University of Cincinnati; Metapsychology Online Reviews * The book is highly useful for graduate students and moral scholars who want to understand whether individual differences in human behavior are a consequence of diverse person characteristics, situational constraints, or a combination of the two. * Dr. Theresa Thorkildsen, Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Illinois; PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 61, No. 16, April 2016 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
418 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-935557-0 (9780199355570)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Book
12/2015
Oxford University Press Inc
€190.40
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€39.49
Available for download

E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€39.49
Available for download
Person
C. Daniel Batson is an experimental social psychologist. He received a Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University in 1972, and taught at the University of Kansas until his retirement in 2008. For over 30 years, his research has focused on prosocial motivation, with particular emphasis on altruistic and moral motivation, and related emotions. He has published well over a hundred research articles and chapters on these topics, as well as two books on altruism. This is his first book on morality.
Content
Introduction
Part I: What's Wrong
Chapter 1: Moral Maladies
Chapter 2: Personal Deficiency
Chapter 3: Situational Pressure
Part II: What's More
Chapter 4: Moral Motivation
Chapter 5: Why Is Moral Integrity Rare, Hypocrisy Common?
Chapter 6: Moral Emotion
Part III: So What
Chapter 7: Moral Combat
Chapter 8: Treating Our Moral Maladies
Reprise
References
Part I: What's Wrong
Chapter 1: Moral Maladies
Chapter 2: Personal Deficiency
Chapter 3: Situational Pressure
Part II: What's More
Chapter 4: Moral Motivation
Chapter 5: Why Is Moral Integrity Rare, Hypocrisy Common?
Chapter 6: Moral Emotion
Part III: So What
Chapter 7: Moral Combat
Chapter 8: Treating Our Moral Maladies
Reprise
References