Psychology, Equality, and the Forgetting of Motivations

Journal article


Vincent, M.. (2024). Psychology, Equality, and the Forgetting of Motivations. Topoi. 43(2), pp. 469-477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-023-09979-2
AuthorsVincent, M.
Abstract

I hope to demonstrate the value of a close reading Williams’s ‘Internal and External Reasons’, and to provide a theory of error regarding the substantial body of work which seeks to, in various ways, defang the essay. I do this by providing some historical context for the paper, and sketching where, historically, internalism and certain sorts of moral realism became separated. It will likely not surprise the reader when I suggest that the modern scientific worldview has an important place in the discussion of the notion of external reasons. As mind, motivation, and perception have become less opaque to us, certain avenues for explaining our reasons have come closer to relying on hypotheses which may turn out to be falsifiable, and have thus been abandoned. What may come as more of a surprise is my suggestion that modern egalitarianism is an important factor as well. I suggest that impersonal reason has been used as an (implausible, but perhaps well-intentioned) alternative to the practice of some inflicting their reasons on others.

KeywordsReason internalism; Hume; Bernard Williams; Metaethics; Normativity
Year01 Jan 2024
JournalTopoi
Journal citation43 (2), pp. 469-477
PublisherSpringer-Verlag Dordrecht
ISSN1572-8749
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-023-09979-2
Web address (URL)https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11245-023-09979-2
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range469-477
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
PrintMay 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted25 Oct 2023
Deposited26 Aug 2024
Additional information

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.

Place of publicationNetherlands
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/90x07/psychology-equality-and-the-forgetting-of-motivations

Restricted files

Publisher's version

  • 5
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Mapping moral pluralism in behavioural spillovers : A cross-disciplinary account of the multiple ways in which we engage in moral valuing
Vincent, Michael and Koessler, Ann-Kathrin. (2020). Mapping moral pluralism in behavioural spillovers : A cross-disciplinary account of the multiple ways in which we engage in moral valuing. Environmental Values. 29(3), pp. 293-315. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327119X15579936382635