Emotions, Psychopathy, and Morality (N. Ramlakhan)

Conférence | Talk

Nalini Ramlakhan

(Carleton University)

  

Emotions, Psychopathy, and Morality

Emotion plays a significant role in moral judgment and moral behaviour. Specific emotions function differently in morality and lead to specific moral outcomes. In order to determine the emotions important for morality, we should examine populations that have little to no morality. Psychopathy is often characterized as a moral disorder (Baron-Cohen, 2011; Marsh, 2014; Hare, 2003), and once was viewed as moral insanity (Prichard, 1837). Psychopaths are a good population to examine in determining which emotions are important for morality. This paper examines the emotions that psychopaths are deficient in in order to determine the emotions that lead to moral behaviour and judgment. More specifically, distress, fear, and disgust are examined and analyzed. I conclude that these three emotions play a significant role in morality and lead to specific moral judgments and behaviours.

Friday, March 2nd, 2018

3:00pm

Carleton University
Paterson Hall, College of Humanities

Room 115