Character as Moral Fiction

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Health & Well Being, Psychology
Cover of the book Character as Moral Fiction by Professor Mark Alfano, Cambridge University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Professor Mark Alfano ISBN: 9781139610797
Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication: February 14, 2013
Imprint: Cambridge University Press Language: English
Author: Professor Mark Alfano
ISBN: 9781139610797
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: February 14, 2013
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Language: English

Everyone wants to be virtuous, but recent psychological investigations suggest that this may not be possible. Mark Alfano challenges this theory and asks, not whether character is empirically adequate, but what characters human beings could have and develop. Although psychology suggests that most people do not have robust character traits such as courage, honesty and open-mindedness, Alfano argues that we have reason to attribute these virtues to people because such attributions function as self-fulfilling prophecies - children become more studious if they are told that they are hard-working and adults become more generous if they are told that they are generous. He argues that we should think of virtue and character as social constructs: there is no such thing as virtue without social reinforcement. His original and provocative book will interest a wide range of readers in contemporary ethics, epistemology, moral psychology and empirically informed philosophy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Everyone wants to be virtuous, but recent psychological investigations suggest that this may not be possible. Mark Alfano challenges this theory and asks, not whether character is empirically adequate, but what characters human beings could have and develop. Although psychology suggests that most people do not have robust character traits such as courage, honesty and open-mindedness, Alfano argues that we have reason to attribute these virtues to people because such attributions function as self-fulfilling prophecies - children become more studious if they are told that they are hard-working and adults become more generous if they are told that they are generous. He argues that we should think of virtue and character as social constructs: there is no such thing as virtue without social reinforcement. His original and provocative book will interest a wide range of readers in contemporary ethics, epistemology, moral psychology and empirically informed philosophy.

More books from Cambridge University Press

Cover of the book New Directions in Locally Compact Groups by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Francis Bacon: The New Organon by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Migration and National Identity in South Africa, 1860–2010 by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Maximum Likelihood for Social Science by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Expanding the Horizon of Electroacoustic Music Analysis by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Adjudicating Refugee and Asylum Status by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Introduction to the Network Approximation Method for Materials Modeling by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Ellipsis in English Literature by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Markets, Money and Capital by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Essential Anesthesia by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book The Cambridge Handbook of Physics Formulas by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book The Cambridge Companion to Lesbian Literature by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling by Professor Mark Alfano
Cover of the book The Space between Us by Professor Mark Alfano
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy