In each of the following questions a topic that has been explored philosophically is paired with articles that ask the question: what empirical evidence is there for the psychological claims about human psychology that are made by philosophers?
1 Character and Situationism
2 Egoism and Altruism
3 Sentimentalism vs Rationalism
4 Milgram and From Jerusalem and Jericho
5 Baston’s Studies of Altruism
6 Haidt on social intuitoinism
A) Clarify the philosophical problem and theory. To do this, refer to assigned readings by philosophers in the column under “philosophy” and to the class lectures. How do they define the terms they use? What are the conflicting views about which theory is correct and how are these views defended? Don’t just quote or paraphrase. Try to put things in your own words.
B) Next, turn to the question of psychological validation. What assumptions about human psychology do philosophers make? What do the psychological studies show about these assumptions? What philosophical theory do these studies support or conflict with? Be sure to use the articles under the heading “psychology” above.
An example. Say you pick #2, egoism and altruism. First, what do these terms mean? Second, what are the conflicting views about egoism and altruism and what arguments do philosophers present for which theory is the correct one? Third, what assumptions about human psychology do these theorists make? Fourth, what does the evidence from psychology show? Does it support egoism? Altruism? Or some other theory?
