Critical investigation of the metaphysical basis of Morals; for the reconstruction of minimal metaphysics of morals

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23520006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Philosophy/Ethics
• Research Institution: Iwate University
• Principal Investigator: USAMI KOSEI 岩手大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30183750)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 道徳の基礎 / 形而上学批判 / 自然主義 / 実践理性 / 道徳脳 / 創発

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Through the research of neuroscience, animal ecology and evolutionary biology, the naturalistic understanding of morals are progressing. According to such understanding, naturalists are criticizing the metaphysical concept of morals as injurious. I have admitted the significance of their critique of metaphysical concepts, but also have analyzed and reevaluated their scenario concerning the generation of morality, and confirmed that even the moral naturalist also tended to respect the metaphysical concepts or values such as "dignity " and " purpose itself ", when conceiving of the “Good life".
Also, it has been shown by a neuroscientist that the metaphysical moral concepts are certainly fictional, but they also affect the emergence of a new mental dimension, which constitutes the moral subject. And this means that the problem of metaphysics, which Kant had investigated, is based on human nature and still remains significant in the practical context.

Free Research Field

倫理学