Papers by Roger Rex
Jonathan Haidt proposed one of the most well-known versions of moral nativism, in which he defend... more Jonathan Haidt proposed one of the most well-known versions of moral nativism, in which he defends the existence of certain moral foundations. In this paper, I examine the main criticisms of this theory, especially a) the claim that it implies a questionable thesis about the human mind; and b) that Haidt's description is incomplete inasmuch as it does not provide an explanation for the mental steps prior to the triggering of intuitions. As for the first criticism, in accepting the thesis of massive modularity, Haidt commits himself to a view of the human mind that is not consilient with the results of neuroscientific research. Nevertheless , since he is aware of this objection, he proposes a milder version of his theory to counter the critics of massive modularity. Regarding the second criticism, Haidt's theory is, in fact, incomplete; for it ignores that it is only possible that an action provokes an intuition after the observer has formed some kind of representation. From the analysis of these criticisms , I conclude that the Moral Foundations Theory, in its mild version, offers an apparently plausible explanation for moral judgments. Notwithstanding , Haidt's theory fails in some measure. It does not explain the role that assumptions about the mental states of the author of an action play in triggering moral intuitions.
Autores que adotam a abordagem da ética evolucionista para explicar a conformação da psicologia h... more Autores que adotam a abordagem da ética evolucionista para explicar a conformação da psicologia humana costumam confundir altruísmo e moralidade, ignorando que a existência de comportamentos cooperativos e de punições contra indivíduos egoístas não depende da existência de juízos morais. No presente artigo, apresento argumentos extraídos de discussões entre cognitivistas e não-cognitivistas e resultados de estudos na área da Psicologia moral a fim de esclarecer a importância de distinguir os dois conceitos mencionados. Concluo que a compreensão das diferenças entre altruísmo e moralidade conduz à identificação das diversas capacidades intelectuais envolvidas nos julgamentos morais e é essencial para o projeto de averiguar se a capacidade para julgar moralmente é uma adaptação biológica.
The aim of this paper is to confront the main arguments employed by advocates of Universal Moral ... more The aim of this paper is to confront the main arguments employed by advocates of Universal Moral Grammar (UMG) with the results obtained in empirical studies from different fields of cognitive science and also with constructivist arguments proposed by Prinz and Sterelny, among others. From this analysis, I conclude that the Poverty of the Stimulus Argument is unconvincing when applied to the field of morality. The research with the trolley problems, often used to support the existence of UMG, is also insufficient to sustain the thesis that morality works similarly to language, especially when the existence of simpler explanations is considered. Furthermore, in spite of the universality of morality, the unlimited variation in moral norms across groups is a serious problem for any account relying on the principles and parameters model of the linguistic analogy.
This study is about the principle of subsidiarity in the European Union, which was enacted with t... more This study is about the principle of subsidiarity in the European Union, which was enacted with the purpose of ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizens. At first, we analyze the notion of subsidiarity, emphasizing its origin. Then, we focus our effort on the task of defining clearly the meaning of this principle after the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty, emphasizing relevant aspects of Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. To achieve this goal, we examine critically the provisions of this Treaty and the doctrine ever produced on the subject. We conclude that the principle of subsidiarity can strengthen the trust of citizens in relation to the European integration process, contributing to the legitimacy of the European Union.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the Early Warning
System, which was established with the purp... more The aim of this paper is to analyze the Early Warning
System, which was established with the purpose of
establishing control over the application of the
principle of subsidiarity in the European Union.
Initially, we investigated the meaning of the provisions
of Protocol 2 of the Treaty on European Union. In the
second part of the work, we examine if the procedure
established was built appropriately to achieve its
goals. We conclude that the essentially procedural
arrangement adopted is suitable for the political
nature of the principle of subsidiarity, as it leads the
legislative institutions to undertake a detailed
examination before concluding that the action at
European level is required.
![Research paper thumbnail of A RELAÇÃO ENTRE MORALIDADE E NATUREZA HUMANA SOB UMA PERSPECTIVA DARWINISTA [MORALITY AND HUMAN NATURE FROM A DARWINIAN PERSPECTIVE]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/51479191/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Diante das fortes críticas sofridas pelas concepções essencialistas de natureza humana, buscamos ... more Diante das fortes críticas sofridas pelas concepções essencialistas de natureza humana, buscamos identificar neste artigo se há algum sentido ainda em afirmarmos que a moralidade faz parte da natureza humana. Para responder essa questão, em primeiro lugar, apresentamos alguns dos principais argumentos que levaram à rejeição do essencialismo. Em seguida, examinamos duas opções que podem servir como ponto de partida na busca por um novo conceito de natureza humana: o conceito nomológico, proposto por Machery, e o conceito causal essencialista, proposto por Samuels. Após compararmos a visão tradicional com as propostas mencionadas, percebemos que qualidades similares àquelas tradicionalmente utilizadas para identificar um traço como pertencente à natureza humana na visão essencialista ainda podem servir como um ponto de partida para a identificação da natureza humana em um sentido que seja compatível com a Biologia moderna. Por fim, analisamos se a capacidade para fazer julgamentos morais envolve essas qualidades.
This paper scrutinizes two research programs that advocate respectively for the existence of a u... more This paper scrutinizes two research programs that advocate respectively for the existence of a universal moral grammar and a predisposition to moralize behaviours with certain contents. It focuses on how the arguments commonly used to ground each program fare at relevant contemporary research in cognitive science and how well they meet constructivist arguments proposed by Jesse Prinz and Kim Sterelny, among others. We argue that there is little evidence that our moral judgements follow the model of principles and parameters. At the same time, ‘ease of learning’ suggests that the human brain is somehow prepared to learn moral rules.
Thesis Chapters by Roger Rex
In order to identify the role of 'innate' psychological structures in morality, I investigate how... more In order to identify the role of 'innate' psychological structures in morality, I investigate how human beings develop the capacity to judge behaviors based on norms. Preliminarily, I show that the approach adopted in this dissertation does not imply the so-called naturalistic fallacy, and, to dispel confusion, I examine the concepts of innate and morality. Then, I explore the problem from the perspective of three nativist research programs. The first of them defends the existence of a universal moral grammar, by analogy with the Chomskyan model of principles and parameters in linguistics. The second program supports the existence of moral domains related to specific mental modules, which would favor the emergence of norms with certain contents. Finally, the third program consists of epidemiological models according to which cognitive structures produced by an evolutionary process would be responsible for biases in the origin and transmission of norms. In particular, I analyze how the arguments used to support these programs fare at relevant contemporary research in Cognitive Science and how well they meet arguments proposed by constructivists. With respect to the universal moral grammar theory, arguments such as the poverty of the stimulus and the projection problem are not convincing when applied to the realm of morality. Empirical studies about trolley problems, often mentioned by proponents of this theory, are also insufficient to ground the claim that morality operates according to a set of principles and parameters. Concerning the moral domains theory, it has the merit of including psychological characteristics typical of the human species, such as our emotional dispositions, in the explanation about moral judgments. Nevertheless, it is committed to a modular view of human mind that is not consilient with the results of neuroscientific research. Moreover, it does not explain the mental stages prior to the unleashing of moral intuitions. With regard to epidemiological models, the appeal to factors of attraction involved in cognitive processing offers the most promising hypothesis to explain the recurrence, in several cultures, of similar norms. However, the explanations proposed so far are still insufficient, as they are restricted to the influences of psychological factors, without exploring their interaction with ecological factors of attraction. In this sense, these models could be complemented by the niche construction theory. In short, the main nativist research programs have not presented good reasons to postulate the existence of cognitive structures specifically dedicated to the production of moral judgments. Notwithstanding, given that psychological factors of attraction seem to channel the development of morality, it is plausible to sustain that the capacity to make moral judgments is innate in some measure, at least in a developmental sense.
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Papers by Roger Rex
System, which was established with the purpose of
establishing control over the application of the
principle of subsidiarity in the European Union.
Initially, we investigated the meaning of the provisions
of Protocol 2 of the Treaty on European Union. In the
second part of the work, we examine if the procedure
established was built appropriately to achieve its
goals. We conclude that the essentially procedural
arrangement adopted is suitable for the political
nature of the principle of subsidiarity, as it leads the
legislative institutions to undertake a detailed
examination before concluding that the action at
European level is required.
Thesis Chapters by Roger Rex
System, which was established with the purpose of
establishing control over the application of the
principle of subsidiarity in the European Union.
Initially, we investigated the meaning of the provisions
of Protocol 2 of the Treaty on European Union. In the
second part of the work, we examine if the procedure
established was built appropriately to achieve its
goals. We conclude that the essentially procedural
arrangement adopted is suitable for the political
nature of the principle of subsidiarity, as it leads the
legislative institutions to undertake a detailed
examination before concluding that the action at
European level is required.