Theology and the Science of Moral Action: Virtue Ethics, Exemplarity, and Cognitive Neuroscience

225 Pages·2013·1.67 MB·English

by  James A Van Slyke et al (eds.)

ROUTLEDGE STUDIES IN RELIGION
Theology and the Science of
Moral Action
Virtue Ethics, Exemplarity, and
Cognitive Neuroscience
Edited by
James A. Van Slyke, Gregory R. Peterson,
Kevin S. Reimer, Michael L. Spezio,
and Warren S. Brown
Theology and the Science of Moral Action
Routledge Studies in Religion
1 Judaism and Collective Life 10 Religion, Language, and Power
Self and Community in the Edited by Nile Green and Mary
Religious Kibbutz Searle-Chatterjee
Aryei Fishman
11 Shared Idioms, Sacred Symbols,
2 Foucault, Christianity and and the Articulation of Identities
Interfaith Dialogue in South Asia
Henrique Pinto Edited by Kelly Pemberton &
Michael Nijhawan
3 Religious Conversion and
Identity 12 Theology, Creation, and
The Semiotic Analysis of Texts Environmental Ethics
Massimo Leone From Creatio Ex Nihilo to
Terra Nullius
4 Language, Desire, and Theology Whitney Bauman
A Genealogy of the Will to Speak
Noëlle Vahanian 13 Material Religion and Popular
Culture
5 Metaphysics and Transcendence E. Frances King
Arthur Gibson
14 Adam Smith as Theologian
6 Sufi sm and Deconstruction Edited by Paul Oslington
A Comparative Study of Derrida
and Ibn ‘Arabi 15 The Entangled God
Ian Almond Divine Relationality and
Quantum Physics
7 Christianity, Tolerance and Kirk Wegter-McNelly
Pluralism
A Theological Engagement with 16 Aquinas and Radical Orthodoxy
Isaiah Berlin’s Social Theory A Critical Inquiry
Michael Jinkins Paul J. DeHart
8 Negative Theology and Modern 17 Animal Ethics and Theology
French Philosophy The Lens of the Good Samaritan
Arthur Bradley Daniel K. Miller
9 Law and Religion 18 The Origin of Heresy
Edited by Peter Radan, Denise A History of Discourse in
Meyerson and Rosalind F. Second Temple Judaism and
Atherton Early Christianity
Robert M. Royalty, Jr.
19 Buddhism and Violence
Militarism and Buddhism in
Modern Asia
Edited by Vladimir Tikhonov and
Torkel Brekke
20 Popular Music in Evangelical
Youth Culture
Stella Sai-Chun Lau
21 Theology and the Science of
Moral Action
Virtue Ethics, Exemplarity, and
Cognitive Neuroscience
Edited by James A. Van Slyke,
Gregory R. Peterson, Kevin S.
Reimer, Michael L. Spezio,
and Warren S. Brown

Theology and the Science of
Moral Action
Virtue Ethics, Exemplarity,
and Cognitive Neuroscience
Edited by James A. Van Slyke,
Gregory R. Peterson, Kevin S. Reimer,
Michael L. Spezio, and Warren S. Brown
NEW YORK LONDON
First published 2013
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
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© 2013 Taylor & Francis
The right of James A. Van Slyke, Gregory R. Peterson, Kevin S. Reimer,
Michael L. Spezio, and Warren S. Brown to be identified as the authors
of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters,
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
American Academy of Religion. Conference (2009 : Chicago, Ill.)
Theology and the science of moral action : virtue ethics, exemplarity,
and cognitive neuroscience / edited by James A. Van Slyke . . . [et al.].
p. cm. — (Routledge studies in religion ; 21)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
1. Virtues—Congresses. 2. Ethics—Congresses. 3. Example—
Congresses. 4. Cognitive neuroscience—Congresses. I. Van Slyke,
James A. II. Title.
BJ1531.A55 2009
170—dc23
2012006837
ISBN13: 978-0-415-89579-8 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-0-203-10174-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by IBT Global.
Printed and bound in the United States of America on sustainably sourced
paper by IBT Global.
Contents
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
JAMES A. VAN SLYKE
PART I
A Science of Morality: A Place for Exemplars and Virtue
1 Empirical Approaches to Virtue Science: Observing Exemplarity
in the Lab 11
WARREN S. BROWN, MICHAEL L. SPEZIO, KEVIN S. REIMER, JAMES A.
VAN SLYKE, AND GREGORY R. PETERSON
2 Virtue, Science, and Exemplarity: An Overview 27
GREGORY R. PETERSON
3 Relating Political Theory and Virtue Science: A Refl ection on
Human Dignity, Empathy, and the Capabilities Approach 47
MICHAEL L. SPEZIO
4 A Modest Polemic for Virtuous Pride 61
KEVIN S. REIMER AND M. KYLE MATSUBA
PART II
Exemplarity, Science, and Virtue: Philosophical Perspectives
5 Exemplarism: Some Considerations 85
GREGORY R. PETERSON
viii Contents
6 Naturalizing Moral Exemplarity: Contemporary Science and
Human Nature 101
JAMES A. VAN SLYKE
7 The Moral Authority of Exemplars 117
LINDA T. ZAGZEBSKI
8 Neuroscience, the Trolley Problem, and Moral Virtue 130
CRAIG A. BOYD
PART III
Exemplarity, Science, and Virtue: Theological Perspectives
9 Hardwired for Drama? Theological Speculations on Cognitive
Science, Empathy, and Moral Exemplarity 149
CHARLENE P. E. BURNS
10 Ethics, Exemplarity, and Atonement 164
F. LERON SHULTS
11 Types of Love and Types of Exemplars: Implications for
Virtue Science 179
THOMAS J. OORD
12 The Virtues and Intellectual Disability: Explorations in the
(Cognitive) Sciences of Moral Formation 191
AMOS YONG
List of Contributors 209
Index 211
Figures
1.1 Group mean cosine values for comparison of self-understanding
narratives and virtue texts. 18
4.1 Integrated model for adolescent volunteerism. 70
4.2 Integrated model for adolescent volunteerism with variables
and paths for present study in bold. 71
4.3 Path model predicting adolescent volunteer commitment. 72