Benjamin Matheson
Biographic Data
| ID | 2404829 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Benjamin Matheson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Benjamin |
| FAMILY NAME | Matheson |
| SIGNATURE | MATHESON B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität München München Germany |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5047-5803 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Shame in Response to Institutional Failure
When an institution morally fails, what is the appropriate emotional reaction for those institution members who are causally uninvolved in bringing about this failure? Our aim in this article is to explain why it may be fitting for such people to feel ashamed about the wrongs perpetrated by the institution. We begin by explaining the main case that we focus on – the Toeslagenaffaire or Dutch Child Benefit Scandal. We then show how standard accoun…
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Failures to remember the past properly can constitute a range of different wrongs. In this article, we identify a novel kind of wrong that often occurs through political apologies: consigning an injustice to history. Consigning acknowledges that a historical injustice took place but denies that it has any ongoing relevance for the present. This is sometimes justified, but it is not justified when a past injustice's moral residue has not been wash…
Fame and redemption: On the moral dangers of celebrity apologies
I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. ... Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all of those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry. (Woods, 201…
It was a Different Time: Judging Historical Figures by Today's Moral Standards
How should we respond to historical figures who played an important role in their country's history but have also perpetrated acts of great evil? Much of the existing philosophical literature on this topic has focused on explaining why it may be wrong to celebrate such figures. However, a common response that is made in popular discussions around these issues is that we should not judge historical figures by today's standards. Our goal in this ar…
Blameworthiness is Terminable
A theory of blameworthiness must answer two fundamental questions. First, what makes a person blameworthy when they act? Secondly, what makes a person blameworthy after the time of action? Two main answers have been given to the second question. According to interminability theorists, blameworthiness necessarily doesn't even diminish over time. Terminability theorists deny this. In this paper, I argue against interminability and in favour of term…
Emotional Imperialism
How might people be wronged in relation to their feelings, moods, and emotions? Recently philosophers have begun to investigate the idea that these kinds of wrongs may constitute a distinctive form of injustice: affective injustice. In previous work, we have outlined a particular form of affective injustice that we called emotional imperialism. This paper has two main aims. First, we aim to provide an expanded account of the forms that emotional …
Commemoration and Emotional Imperialism
The Northern Irish footballer James McClean chooses not to take part in the practice of wearing a plastic red poppy to commemorate those who have died fighting for the British Armed Forces. Each year he faces abuse, including occasional death threats, for his choice. This forms part of a wider trend towards ‘poppy enforcement’, the pressuring of people, particularly public figures, to wear the poppy. This enforcement seems wrong in part because, …
Introduction: Symposium on The Ethics of Indirect Intervention
Intervention in foreign conflicts is, undoubtedly, one of the most urgent and controversial issues in modern politics. After NATO interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo during the 1990s, which were widely regarded as reasonably successful, states were comparatively receptive to the idea of using military force abroad for humanitarian ends. There followed a flurry of academic literature on the normative implications of intervention, wi…
Admiration Over Time
In this paper, we investigate the diachronic fittingness conditions of admiration – that is, what it takes for a person to continue or cease to be admirable over time. We present a series of cases that elicit judgements that suggest different understandings of admiration over time. In some cases, admirability seems to last forever. In other cases, it seems that it can cease within a person's lifetime if she changes sufficiently. Taken together, t…
Celebrity, Democracy, and Epistemic Power
What, if anything, is problematic about the involvement of celebrities in democratic politics? While a number of theorists have criticized celebrity involvement in politics, none so far have examined this issue using the tools of social epistemology, the study of the effects of social interactions, practices, and institutions on knowledge and belief acquisition. We will draw on these resources to investigate the issue of celebrity involvement in …
The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife
This unique Handbook provides a sophisticated, scholarly overview of the most advanced thought regarding the idea of life after death. Its comprehensive coverage encompasses historical, religious, phi
The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife
xiii, 458 pages ; 24 cm
Celebrity, Democracy, and Epistemic Power
What, if anything, is problematic about the involvement of celebrities in democratic politics? While a number of theorists have criticized celebrity involvement in politics, none so far have examined this issue using the tools of social epistemology, the study of the effects of social interactions, practices, and institutions on knowledge and belief acquisition. We will draw on these resources to investigate the issue of celebrity involvement in …
Blameworthiness is Terminable
A theory of blameworthiness must answer two fundamental questions. First, what makes a person blameworthy when they act? Secondly, what makes a person blameworthy after the time of action? Two main answers have been given to the second question. According to interminability theorists, blameworthiness necessarily doesn't even diminish over time. Terminability theorists deny this. In this paper, I argue against interminability and in favour of term…
It was a Different Time: Judging Historical Figures by Today's Moral Standards
How should we respond to historical figures who played an important role in their country's history but have also perpetrated acts of great evil? Much of the existing philosophical literature on this topic has focused on explaining why it may be wrong to celebrate such figures. However, a common response that is made in popular discussions around these issues is that we should not judge historical figures by today's standards. Our goal in this ar…
The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife
This unique Handbook provides a sophisticated, scholarly overview of the most advanced thought regarding the idea of life after death. Its comprehensive coverage encompasses historical, religious, phi
The Palgrave Handbook of the Afterlife
xiii, 458 pages ; 24 cm
Admiration Over Time
In this paper, we investigate the diachronic fittingness conditions of admiration – that is, what it takes for a person to continue or cease to be admirable over time. We present a series of cases that elicit judgements that suggest different understandings of admiration over time. In some cases, admirability seems to last forever. In other cases, it seems that it can cease within a person's lifetime if she changes sufficiently. Taken together, t…
Celebrity, Democracy, and Epistemic Power
What, if anything, is problematic about the involvement of celebrities in democratic politics? While a number of theorists have criticized celebrity involvement in politics, none so far have examined this issue using the tools of social epistemology, the study of the effects of social interactions, practices, and institutions on knowledge and belief acquisition. We will draw on these resources to investigate the issue of celebrity involvement in …
Commemoration and Emotional Imperialism
The Northern Irish footballer James McClean chooses not to take part in the practice of wearing a plastic red poppy to commemorate those who have died fighting for the British Armed Forces. Each year he faces abuse, including occasional death threats, for his choice. This forms part of a wider trend towards ‘poppy enforcement’, the pressuring of people, particularly public figures, to wear the poppy. This enforcement seems wrong in part because, …
Introduction: Symposium on The Ethics of Indirect Intervention
Intervention in foreign conflicts is, undoubtedly, one of the most urgent and controversial issues in modern politics. After NATO interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo during the 1990s, which were widely regarded as reasonably successful, states were comparatively receptive to the idea of using military force abroad for humanitarian ends. There followed a flurry of academic literature on the normative implications of intervention, wi…
Emotional Imperialism
How might people be wronged in relation to their feelings, moods, and emotions? Recently philosophers have begun to investigate the idea that these kinds of wrongs may constitute a distinctive form of injustice: affective injustice. In previous work, we have outlined a particular form of affective injustice that we called emotional imperialism. This paper has two main aims. First, we aim to provide an expanded account of the forms that emotional …
Consigning Injustice to History with Political Apologies
Failures to remember the past properly can constitute a range of different wrongs. In this article, we identify a novel kind of wrong that often occurs through political apologies: consigning an injustice to history. Consigning acknowledges that a historical injustice took place but denies that it has any ongoing relevance for the present. This is sometimes justified, but it is not justified when a past injustice's moral residue has not been wash…
Fame and redemption: On the moral dangers of celebrity apologies
I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. ... Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all of those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry. (Woods, 201…
It was a Different Time: Judging Historical Figures by Today's Moral Standards
How should we respond to historical figures who played an important role in their country's history but have also perpetrated acts of great evil? Much of the existing philosophical literature on this topic has focused on explaining why it may be wrong to celebrate such figures. However, a common response that is made in popular discussions around these issues is that we should not judge historical figures by today's standards. Our goal in this ar…
Blameworthiness is Terminable
A theory of blameworthiness must answer two fundamental questions. First, what makes a person blameworthy when they act? Secondly, what makes a person blameworthy after the time of action? Two main answers have been given to the second question. According to interminability theorists, blameworthiness necessarily doesn't even diminish over time. Terminability theorists deny this. In this paper, I argue against interminability and in favour of term…
Shame in Response to Institutional Failure
When an institution morally fails, what is the appropriate emotional reaction for those institution members who are causally uninvolved in bringing about this failure? Our aim in this article is to explain why it may be fitting for such people to feel ashamed about the wrongs perpetrated by the institution. We begin by explaining the main case that we focus on – the Toeslagenaffaire or Dutch Child Benefit Scandal. We then show how standard accoun…
Philosophy (8 works) · Epistemology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Political science (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works) · War, Ethics, and Justification (4 works) · Politics (3 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (3 works)