This is the last post in a series that examined theories of condemnation that compete with that proposed by desirism. I am using the following text: Dill, Brendan and Darwall, Stephen (2014). "Moral Psychology as Accountability" in Moral Psychology and Human Agency (D'Arms, Justin and Jacobson, eds.). Oxford. So far, I have looked at: The Egoistic Theory of Condemnation: the theory that people condemn others because they seek some personal gain - compensation, cooperation in the production of a public good, satisfaction. The Deterrence Theory of Condemnation that explains condemnation ..read more

I am looking at theories of condemnation to measure how they compare to the role that condemnation plays in desirism. I am using the following text: Dill, Brendan and Darwall, Stephen (2014). "Moral Psychology as Accountability" in Moral Psychology and Human Agency (D'Arms, Justin and Jacobson, eds.). Oxford. So far, I have looked at: The Egoistic Theory of Condemnation: the theory that people condemn others because they seek some personal gain - compensation, cooperation in the production of a public good, satisfaction. The Deterrence Theory of Condemnation that explains condemnation ..read more

In our last exciting episode, I explained how the theory of condemnation that comes from desirism defeats the egoistic theory of condemnation. This week, we are playing against the deterrence theory of condemnation. I am employing Dill, Brendan and Darwall, Stephen (2014). "Moral Psychology as Accountability" in Moral Psychology and Human Agency (D'Arms, Justin and Jacobson, eds.). Oxford. Recall that the value of this article is found in the fact that it not only identifies the various theories of condemnation, of which the egoistic and deterrence theories are but two examples, but it t ..read more

I read an article yesterday that I found extremely interesting. Series Introduction Dill, Brendan and Darwall, Stephen (2014). "Moral Psychology as Accountability" in Moral Psychology and Human Agency (D'Arms, Justin and Jacobson, eds.). Oxford. In this article, the authors look at several theories of condemnation, discuss the merits and demerits of each, and present a theory of their own. Readers will know that condemnation plays a central role in desirism. Condemnation is a tool that people employ to act on the reward and punishment pathways of the brain so as to create universally av ..read more

It has been suggested that a podcast about value should be able to say something about the value of listening to a podcast on moral value that I am planning to start in a few months. In the previous posting I looked at the value of listening to a podcast in terms of fulfilling the desires that the potential listener already has. Such a podcast could fulfill the potential listener's desires in one of two ways. It could fulfill the desires directly in terms of being entertaining, containing a subject matter that the listener is intrinsically interested in. A clear and easy to understood speakin ..read more

This is the podcast about value. Because it is a podcast about value, you should expect that I can say something about the value of listening to this podcast. Let me give it a try. In order for me to get you to choose to listen to this podcast, I have to provide you with a motive to listen to it. How do I do that? Well, there are two ways I can do that. Here is the first way. You have a set of desires. Now, I am using the word “desire” in a very broad sense. It includes all sorts of likes, wants, preferences, interests, and the like. When I speak about desires, I am including things ..read more

One would think that if I blog and intend to produce a podcast on the nature of value that I should be able to say something about the value of particpating in such a podcast. Let us assume that you are working for a company that is seeking to relocate you and your family to a new city. They are giving you an option as to which city you would like to move your family to. Option 1: This office is in a community of individuals who are well known for their kindness and helpfulness. Its citizens not only help others at times of need, but they seem to genuinely enjoy doing so. They get along pe ..read more

This post relates to the podcast I am wanting to start in a few months. I very much value public input and comment. This is not like a movie or television series where avoiding spoilers has a high priority. This is an honest attempt to generate an improved understanding of morality among a larger group of people. And, I am not the master of all virtue and wisdom. I hope to tap into the virtue and wisdom of others to make the best podcast available. Towards that end, I have been thinking about how to introduce the podcast -an “episode 0” that will be about a 5 minute “trailer” that will g ..read more

A new year. A year of transition. This year I will: (1) Defend my master's thesis (2) Hopefully be accepted into the PhD program in Philosophy at the University of Colorado. (I have submitted my application) (3) Lose my job of 20 years. They have already notified me of an intention of ending my employment at the end of the current project in April. (4) Graduate with an MA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado. (5) Begin a new podcast on morality. (6) Turn 60 years old. By this time next year, my life will have totally changed. Well, not totally. Almost totally. I will h ..read more

Yesterday, I mentioned that philosophers distinguish between the causation that occurs when there are no people (e.g., the meteor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs), and the causation that people are interested in (whether Russian meddling was responsible for Trump being elected President). On the surface, they seem quite similar. However, when we look at the first type of cause, we tend to include things that people are not actually interested in. In earlier posts I mentioned the case of saying that the house fire was caused by the existence of oxygen in the room. This is true i ..read more