Title
Moral Rationalism and Psychopathy: Affective Responses to Reason
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-3-2017
Description
Evidence suggests that psychopaths’ notoriously immoral behavior is due to affective rather than rational deficits. This evidence could be taken to show that, contrary to moral rationalism, moral norms are not norms of reason. Rationalists could reply either that psychopaths’ behavior is in fact primarily due to rational deficits or that affects are involved in responding to rational norms. Drawing on the work of Antonio Damasio and colleagues, I argue the latter is the better defense of moral rationalism.
Citation Information
Coates, Allen. 2017. Moral Rationalism and Psychopathy: Affective Responses to Reason. Philosophical Psychology. Vol.30(7). 855-877. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2017.1318207 ISSN: 0951-5089