Synopses & Reviews
We can see a theft, hear a lie, and feel a stabbing. These are morally important perceptions. But are they also
moral perceptions--distinctively moral responses? In this book, Robert Audi develops an original account of moral perceptions, shows how they figure in human experience, and argues that they provide moral knowledge. He offers a theory of perception as an informative representational relation to objects and events. He describes the experiential elements in perception, illustrates moral perception in relation to everyday observations, and explains how moral perception justifies moral judgments and contributes to objectivity in ethics.
Moral perception does not occur in isolation. Intuition and emotion may facilitate it, influence it, and be elicited by it. Audi explores the nature and variety of intuitions and their relation to both moral perception and emotion, providing the broadest and most refined statement to date of his widely discussed intuitionist view in ethics. He also distinguishes several kinds of moral disagreement and assesses the challenge it poses for ethical objectivism.
Philosophically argued but interdisciplinary in scope and interest, Moral Perception advances our understanding of central problems in ethics, moral psychology, epistemology, and the theory of the emotions.
Review
"[T]his excellent book furthers Audi's recent attempts to develop a modest form of moral intuitionism."--Choice
Review
"At a minimum, Moral Perception has redefined the terms of the future of the moral perception debate through brilliant attention to clear distinctions and the various ways in which moral perception must account for neighboring phenomena in aesthetics and psychology. Throughout the chapters, you can just 'see' the virtues of Audi's arguments; although to figure out how this is possible, you must still read the book."--Kevin DeLapp, Social Theory and Practice
Review
"Thanks to the epistemological depth and the direct access to the major topics of the contemporary debate, this book enriches Audi's philosophy in a way that reasonably makes him one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time."--Simone Grigoletlo, Universa. Recensioni di Filosofia
Review
"[H]is book proves quite interesting as he explores how moral perception relates to intuition, aesthetic perception, and emotion. . . . His analysis and discussion of how moral perception and intuition can be both rational yet non-inferential is a helpful and welcome addition to his already substantial work in epistemology."--James Taggart, Metapsychology Online Reviews
Review
"Audi's is the first book-length treatment of the topic, and is further distinguished by its placing the discussion of moral perception in the context of a comprehensive epistemology and philosophy of mind. It is a rich and thought-provoking work which will engage philosophers from a variety of areas."--Robert Cowan, Mind
Synopsis
"This book defends the most illuminating and novel theory of moral perception to date. In making a case for objectivity in ethics, Robert Audi insightfully explores the relations between moral perception, intuition, emotion, and imagination. His clear and engaging style, and his use of many examples to explain and illuminate the key distinctions and ideas, makes the book accessible to students, while its substantial contribution to ethical theory makes it a must-read for experts."
--Mark Timmons, University of Arizona"I don't know of any other work in recent years that has examined moral perception so thoroughly or with such epistemological sophistication. Audi's book makes an important contribution to the unduly neglected field of moral epistemology, and it should interest a broad philosophical audience."--Noah Lemos, College of William and Mary
About the Author
Robert Audi is John A. OBrien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His books include Moral Knowledge and Ethical Character, Moral Value and Human Diversity, The Good in the Right (Princeton), and Practical Reasoning and Ethical Decision.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
PART ONE Perception and Moral Knowledge 5
Chapter 1 Perception: Sensory, Conceptual, and Cognitive Dimensions 7
- I. Major Kinds of Perception 8
- II. The Phenomenology and Content of Perception 12
- III. The Basis of Veridical Perception 21
Chapter 2 Moral Perception: Causal, Phenomenological, and Epistemological Elements 30
- I. The Perception of Right and Wrong 30
- II. The Representational Character of Moral Perception 38
Chapter 3 Perception as a Direct Source of Moral Knowledge 51
- I. Perception and Inference 51
- II. Can Moral Perception Be Naturalized? 55
- III. Moral Perception as a Basis of Moral Knowledge 58
PART TWO Ethical Intuition, Emotional Sensibility, and Moral Judgment 67
Chapter 4 Perceptual Grounds, Ethical Disagreement, and Moral Intuitions 69
- I. Does Moral Disagreement Undermine Justification in Ethics? 70
- II. The Concept of an Intuition 83
- III. Intuitions as Apprehensions 96
Chapter 5 Moral Perception, Aesthetic Perception, and Intuitive Judgment 103
- I. The Role of Intuition in Aesthetic Experience 103
- II. Aesthetic and Moral Properties: Comparison and Contrast 106
- III. The Rule-Governed Element in Ethics and Aesthetics 109
- IV. The Reliability of Intuition 112
Chapter 6 Emotion and Intuition as Sources of Moral Judgment 121
- I. Emotion and Intuition: Interaction and Integration 122
- II. The Evidential Role of Emotion in Moral Matters 136
Chapter 7 The Place of Emotion and Moral Intuition in Normative Ethics 143
- I. Emotion and Moral Intuition 143
- II. Moral Imagination as a Nexus of Intuition, Emotion, and Perception 157
- III. Intuition and Moral Judgment 161
Conclusion 170
Index 175