Morality from Compassion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingmar Persson
Keyword(s):  
Personal Identity ◽  
Moral Virtue ◽  
Arthur Schopenhauer ◽  
Temporal Separation ◽  
Positive Form ◽  
Philosophical Ethics ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Negative Form

According to Arthur Schopenhauer, compassion is the basis of morality. He sees concern for justice as a negative form of compassion, directed at not harming anyone, as opposed to the more far-reaching, positive form of benefiting. He thinks a higher degree of compassion involves realizing that the spatio-temporal separation of individuals is illusory and that in reality they are all identical. Such compassion is impartial and all-encompassing. Compassion is suited to be the centre of morality because its object are negative feelings, and only these are real. Contrary to these Schopenhauerian claims, it is here argued that compassion must be supplemented with attitudes like sympathy and benevolence because positive feelings exist alongside negative feelings; that a concern for justice, though morally essential, is independent of these attitudes which are based on empathy; that these attitudes involve not identifying oneself with others, but taking personal identity as insignificant in empathically imagining how others feel. Schopenhauer is, however, right that, though these attitudes are spontaneously partial, this can be corrected. His morality is also interesting in raising the question rarely discussed in philosophical ethics of how moral virtue relates to ascetic self-renunciation. Both of these ideals are highly demanding, but the book ends by arguing that this is no objection to their validity.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista K. Thomason
Keyword(s):  
Moral Psychology ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Moral Maturity ◽  
Moral Agents ◽  
The People ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

The conclusion summarizes the main aims of the book. Even though shame can be a painful and damaging emotion, we would still not be better off without it. A continued liability to shame shows that we accept that we are not always the people we think we are, but accepting this fact is a sign of moral maturity. Additionally, this conclusion raises questions about moral philosophy’s commitment to positive moral psychology. Although some philosophers have defended negative emotions, the field as a whole still treats positive feelings as better and more desirable than negative feelings. But it is reasonable to ask whether moral agents should try to be “emotional saints.”

scholarly journals Reconciling Loss Aversion and Gain Seeking in Judged Emotions

2021 ◽  
pp. 096372142199204
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Mellers ◽  
Siyuan Yin ◽  
Jonathan Z. Berman
Keyword(s):  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Negative Change ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

Is the pain of a loss greater in magnitude than the pleasure of a comparable gain? Studies that compare positive feelings about a gain with negative feelings about a comparable loss have found mixed answers to this question. The pain of a loss can be greater than, less than, or equal to the pleasure of a comparable gain. We offer a new approach to test hedonic loss aversion. This method uses emotional reactions to the reference point, a positive change, and a negative change. When we manipulated the reference point (i.e., pleasurable and painful), two distinct patterns emerged. Pain surpassed pleasure (loss aversion) when the reference point was positive, and pleasure exceeded pain (gain seeking) when the reference point was negative. A reference-dependent version of prospect theory accounts for the results. If the carriers of utility are changes from a reference point—not necessarily the status quo—both loss aversion and gain seeking are predicted. Loss aversion and gain seeking can be reconciled if you take the starting point into account.

Effect of background clutter on neural discrimination in the bat auditory midbrain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryne M Allen ◽  
Angeles Salles ◽  
Sanwook Park ◽  
Mounya Elhilali ◽  
Cynthia F. Moss
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Scattering ◽  
Object Discrimination ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Temporal Separation ◽  
Complex Sounds ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Background Clutter ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

The discrimination of complex sounds is a fundamental function of the auditory system. This operation must be robust in the presence of noise and acoustic clutter. Echolocating bats are auditory specialists that discriminate sonar objects in acoustically complex environments. Bats produce brief signals, interrupted by periods of silence, rendering echo snapshots of sonar objects. Sonar object discrimination requires that bats process spatially and temporally overlapping echoes to make split-second decisions. The mechanisms that enable this discrimination are not well understood, particularly in complex environments. We explored the neural underpinnings of sonar object discrimination in the presence of acoustic scattering caused by physical clutter. We performed electrophysiological recordings in the inferior colliculus of awake big brown bats, to broadcasts of pre-recorded echoes from physical objects. We acquired single unit responses to echoes and discovered a sub-population of IC neurons that encode acoustic features that can be used to discriminate between sonar objects. We further investigated the effects of environmental clutter on this population's encoding of acoustic features. We discovered that the effect of background clutter on sonar object discrimination is highly variable and depends on object properties and target-clutter spatio-temporal separation. In many conditions, clutter impaired discrimination of sonar objects. However, in some instances clutter enhanced acoustic features of echo returns, enabling higher levels of discrimination. This finding suggests that environmental clutter may augment acoustic cues used for sonar target discrimination and provides further evidence in a growing body of literature that noise is not universally detrimental to sensory encoding.

scholarly journals Awe and Epistemology in a Science Museum

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Price ◽  
Kimberly A Quinn ◽  
Jana Greenslit ◽  
Lauren Applebaum ◽  
Sheila Krogh-Jespersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Science Museum ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Science Museums ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Aesthetic Thinking ◽  
The Relationship

Museums are located at the intersection of awe and learning: When guests arrive, they are expecting to be amazed, inspired, and educated. This is particularly true in science museums, and researchers have pointed to awe as an epistemic emotion that can promote science learning. We present two studies of awe in a science museum. The first study (n = 293) examined how awe—conceptualized as a multifaceted construct associated with positive feelings of liberation/connection, negative feelings of oppression/isolation, chills, and diminished-self perceptions—differed across museum locations and in relation to prior knowledge. The second study (n = 708) expanded the investigation to also examine the relationship between awe and critical thinking. Across both studies, we found that, relative to baseline spaces, vast, beautiful spaces elicited positive awe-related emotions (amazement, curiosity) and stronger awe correlates (chills, diminished-self perceptions); vast, threatening spaces also elicited stronger amazement, chills, and diminished-self perceptions—but also stronger oppression/isolation. In both studies, pre-visit knowledge was associated with awe experiences during the visit. In Study 2, we also found evidence for relationships between awe and skepticism and aesthetic thought, two aspects of critical thinking: Positive aspects of awe (liberation/connection, curiosity) were associated with more skepticism, and negative aspects of awe (oppression/isolation, disorientation) with less skepticism. In terms of aesthetic thinking, diminished-self perceptions were associated being able describe observed roles and actions, and chills were associated with being able to describe personal opinions. These results support the assertion that awe can be used to encourage engagement and learning in informal science settings.

Biases in Favour of the Negative

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-124
Author(s):  
Ingmar Persson
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Moral Reasons ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

Contrary to Schopenhauer’s claim that positive feelings consist simply in the cessation of negative feelings, it is contended that positive feelings are feelings just like negative feelings. But there is a bias or asymmetry in favour of the negative to the effect that negative feelings can in general have a greater intensity: pain can be more intense than pleasure, depression than elation, etc. This is because negative feelings often signal losses that are irreversible, and that by themselves guarantee reductions of well-being, whereas this is not true of the improvements signalled by positive feelings. Due to this asymmetry, compassion can be stronger than sympathetic joy and, as these emotions provide moral reasons, this explains why, intuitively, it seems morally more urgent to prevent what is bad than to produce what is good as, e.g. negative utilitarianism maintains.

scholarly journals The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Orthodontic Patients in China: An Analysis of Posts on Weibo

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feiyang Guo ◽  
Bojun Tang ◽  
Danchen Qin ◽  
Tingting Zhao ◽  
Yu-xiong Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dental Care ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Orthodontic Patients ◽  
Fixed Appliances ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
The Impact

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many dental care services including orthodontic practice were suspended. Orthodontic patients turned to social media platforms to communicate, share experiences, and look for solutions. Our study aimed to investigate the attitudes and perspectives of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 epidemic in China by analyzing orthodontics-related posts on Sina Weibo (a Chinese counterpart of Twitter).Materials and Methods: Potentially eligible posts on Sina Weibo platform were collected between December 30, 2019, and April 18, 2020. Posts related to both orthodontics and COVID-19 were included and then coded and classified into specific appliances and themes. Geographic and temporal distributions of the included posts were analyzed. In addition, time-lagged cross correlation was performed to explore the association between the number of daily posts and daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China. Chi-square tests were employed to compare the differences between fixed appliances and aligners in problems/difficulties and feelings during the epidemic.Results: Of the 28,911 posts identified, 4,484 were included in the analysis. The most frequently mentioned themes were appointments (n = 2,621, 58.5%), negative feelings (n = 2,189, 48.8%), and problems/difficulties (n = 1,155, 25.8%). A majority of posts were tweeted in regions with high levels of economic development and population density in eastern China and from February to March. The number of daily posts had a significantly positive correlation with daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China (P < 0.05). Compared with clear aligners, patients with fixed appliances reported more problems/difficulties (P < 0.001) and negative feelings (P < 0.001), but fewer positive feelings (P < 0.001).Conclusions: The analysis of Weibo posts provided a timely understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on orthodontic patients. Delayed appointments were their greatest concern, and negative feelings and untreated orthodontic problems increased during the suspension of dental care services. However, patients with clear aligners reported fewer negative feelings and problems than those with fixed appliances. The findings highlighted the need to consider both treatment- and psychology-related issues of orthodontic patients and how to handle them appropriately during the epidemic.

scholarly journals Analysis of her1 and her7 Mutants Reveals a Spatio Temporal Separation of the Somite Clock Module

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. e39073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suma Choorapoikayil ◽  
Bernd Willems ◽  
Peter Ströhle ◽  
Martin Gajewski
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Separation ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Clock Module

scholarly journals Perfectionistic self-presentation and emotional experiences in music students: A three-wave longitudinal study

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-776
Author(s):  
Andrew P. Hill ◽  
Karen Burland ◽  
Elaine C. King ◽  
Stephanie E. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Music Students ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Over Time

Research has shown that perfectionism predicts emotional experiences among amateur, professional and adolescent musicians. In examining these relationships, previous research has measured trait perfectionism and employed cross-sectional designs. The current study builds on existing research by examining whether perfectionistic self-presentation (as opposed to trait perfectionism) predicts negative and positive emotional experiences in music students over time. One hundred and forty-three music students ( M age 18.92 years, SD = 2.96) enrolled in music-related degree programs completed measures of perfectionistic self-presentation (perfectionistic self-promotion, non-display of imperfection, and non-disclosure of imperfection) and emotional experiences (positive and negative feelings) at the start, middle and the end of the academic year. Path analysis revealed that perfectionistic self-promotion at the start of the year predicted lower positive feelings in the middle of the year, and non-disclosure of imperfection in the middle of the year predicted lower positive feelings at the end of the year. In addition, negative feelings in the middle of the year also predicted higher non-disclosure of imperfection at the end of the year. The findings suggest that the desire to present oneself perfectly and avoid disclosure of imperfections may contribute to less positive emotional experiences among music students.

LOVE STYLES AND ROMANTIC LOVE EXPERIENCES IN JAPAN

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Kanemasa ◽  
Junichi Taniguchi ◽  
Ikuo Daibo ◽  
Masanori Ishimori
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Romantic Love ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Love Styles ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
The Relationship

This research investigated the relationship between the six love styles based on Lee's theory (1973) and several romantic experiences, such as emotional experiences, self-perceptions, and partner's impressions. The subjects were 343 undergraduate students. The main results were as follows: Eros was positively related to positive feelings and positive self-perceptions. Mania and Agape showed similar patterns of emotional experiences, but Agape was distinguished from Mania in that agapic individuals thought of themselves as kind in romantic relationships. Pragma and Ludus were positively related to negative feelings in romantic relationships, and, in addition, Ludus was negatively correlated with partner's attractiveness. These results mostly provided support for Lee's theory and the conceptual validity of the six love styles.

‘I am more than my IQ:’ Analysis of the experience of a gifted learner

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-215
Author(s):  
Agnė Brandišauskienė
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Internal Dynamics ◽  
Gifted Learners ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Negative Feelings

The current article reports on the analysis of the phenomenon of the experience of a gifted learner revealing her significant school experiences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis, that is, the phenomenological strategy of Colaizzi, has been selected for a consistent analysis, which reveals the factors of a person’s internal dynamics. The educational experience of a gifted girl is revealed through five themes: four of them are related to complex negative feelings. A gifted pupil experiences loneliness and otherness in school. She lacks challenges during the learning process, and meaningful interpersonal relationships do not develop. Only one (the fifth) theme is connected to her positive feelings and self-discovery among other people. Ann acknowledges discovering the feeling of belonging and the feeling of authenticity on the personal (value-based) level when participating in cultural events with her peers. The research results are valuable because they provide insights into the feelings and experiences of an exceptionally gifted school learner. They can be beneficial to both researchers exploring education of gifted learners and to teachers working with them.

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