#240 Paul Katsafanas: Nietzsche and Moral Psychology
Dr. Paul Katsafanas is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Boston University. He works on ethics, moral psychology, and nineteenth-century philosophy. He’s the author of the books Agency and the Foundations of Ethics: Nietzschean Constitutivism, and The Nietzschean Self: Moral Psychology, Agency, and the Unconscious.
In this episode, we talk about some of Nietzsche’s insights on human psychology, and how that relates to his moral philosophy. We start off by discussing the importance of studying human nature to do good moral philosophy, and the issues with some approaches in ethics like rationalism and intuitionism. Then we get into some of Nietzsche’s observations on the differences between reflective and unreflective action; the dynamical relationships between the conscious and the unconscious; and how concepts acquired through culture might influence our thinking. Referring to topics directly related to morality and ethics, we also talk about freedom, agency, and responsibility; Nietzschean drives; and the Will. We finally discuss Nietzsche’s morality, and if it was relativistic or subjective.
Time Links:
Studying human nature to do moral philosophy
Issues with approaches like rationalism and intuitionism
Post-hoc rationalizations
Reflective vs. unreflective action
The conscious and the unconscious
How language and culture influence our thinking
Freedom, agency, and responsibility
Insights into people’s moral thinking
Drives vs. desires
The Will
Nietzsche’s morality
Is morality subjective?
Follow Dr. Katsafanas’ work!
Follow Dr. Katsafanas’ work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2MW2U96
Personal Website: http://bit.ly/2OTilS5
Articles on ResearchGate: http://bit.ly/2ZYhXCO
Books: https://amzn.to/2KFm0gT
Relevant books:
Agency and the Foundations of Ethics: Nietzschean Constitutivism: https://amzn.to/2Mcy38T
The Nietzschean Self: Moral Psychology, Agency, and the Unconscious: https://amzn.to/2TotusO
The Nietzschean Mind: https://amzn.to/2MRG0zM