Lack of Character

Personality and Moral Behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID23398572
AuthorsJohn M Doris (0000-0003-3517-0096, University of California, Santa Cruz, corresponding author)
Year2002
Publication date2002-08-15
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueLack of Character (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9781139878364
OpenAlexW4244611810
Open LibraryOL34505645M
ISBN9781139878364
LanguageEN
Citations received243

This book is a provocative contribution to contemporary ethical theory challenging foundational conceptions of character that date back to Aristotle. John Doris draws on behavioral science, especially social psychology, to argue that we misattribute the causes of behavior to personality traits and other fixed aspects of character rather than to the situational context. More often than not it is the situation not the nature of the personality that really counts. The author elaborates the philosophical consequences of this research for a whole array of ethical theories and shows that, once rid of the misleading conception of motivation, moral psychology can support more robust ethical theories and more humane ethical practices.

Character (mathematics) · Context (archaeology) · Epistemology · Moral character · Personality · Situational ethics · Sociology · Ethics in medical practice · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Character · Ethics

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