Moral Intuition, Social Sin, and Moral Vision
Attending to the Unconscious Dimensions of Morality and Igniting the Moral Imagination
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3492290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elizabeth Sweeny Block (Saint Louis University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 292 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel12050292 |
| OpenAlex | W3156866828 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
This paper argues that the unconscious dimensions of the moral life-for example, moral vision, moral imagination, and distorted consciousness-are some of the most urgent provinces of moral theology today. Historically, moral theology was concerned with moral quandaries and observable actions, and moral agents were understood to be rational, deliberate, self-aware decision makers. Cultures of sin, such as racism and sexual violence, require that moral theologians reconceive of moral agency. Confronting these unconscious dimensions of the moral life requires integrating research in disciplines such as science, sociology, history, and anthropology with Christian ethics, pushing the boundaries of what has traditionally been understood to be the domain of moral theology. As an example, this paper draws upon the mutually reinforcing theories of moral intuition, developed by social and moral psychologists, and recent theories of social sin in Christian ethics, arguing that attention to the unconscious province of the moral life is necessary for developing an accurate conception of moral agency and for future work in moral formation. This paper concludes with a modest proposal for how stories might enable awareness of our distorted consciousness
Consciousness · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Intuition · Moral agency · Moral authority · Moral development · Moral disengagement · Moral psychology · Moral reasoning · Moral responsibility · Morality · Social cognitive theory of morality · Social intuitionism · Social science · Sociology · Unconscious mind · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · War, Ethics, and Justification
Beyond Point-and-Shoot Morality
The emotional dog and its rational tail
Prophets of the Posthuman
The Future of Ethics
The Genre of Judgment
Rethinking Moral Agency in Markets
A Feminist Catholic Response to the Social Sin of Rape Culture
The Id, the Ego, and Equal Protection
Intuitive ethics
Recent Work in Moral Anthropology
The Hearts and Guts of White People
Upheavals of Thought
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |