Is It a First Step to Stop Ascribing Moral Concern to Others?
Dehumanization does seem to be potentially a central factor in a failing to attribute moral regard to others. So so failing to see others as persons will lead us to stop ascribing moral concern to these others. But i think the rhetoric around conflict and needing to sort of protect ourselves against a threat is much more salient than our concept of who does or does not belong in these kinds of situations.
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I was raised in the tradition of believing that everyone is of equal moral worth. But when I scrutinise my daily practices, I don’t think I can honestly say that I act as if everyone is of equal moral worth. The idea that some people belong within the circle of moral concern and some do not is central to many moral systems. But what affects the dynamics of the moral circle? How does it contract and expand? Can it expand indefinitely? In this episode I discuss these questions with Joshua Rottman. Josh is an associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Program in Scientific and Philosophical Studies of Mind at Franklin and Marshall College. His research is situated at the intersection of cognitive development and moral psychology, and he primarily focuses on studying the factors that lead certain entities and objects to be attributed with (or stripped of) moral concern.
