Research On Slote’s Moral Sentimentalism Based On Empathy

The debate between rationalism and sentimentalism on the basis of morality has a long history.In the history of western ethical thoughts,rationalism has always occupied the mainstream position,and advocates that morality is rooted in reason,and the standard of moral behavior and judgment is based on reason instead of sentiment.However,this kind of moral rationalism ignores people’s inner sentimental experience and psychological state,and can’t account for the moral indifference in the current society.In this context,moral sentimentalism,which focuses on people’s inner sentiment,has returned to people’s vision.Slote believed that from the standpoint of Hume’s sentimentalism,morality was not necessarily rational,and sentiment could also be the foundation of morality.He introduced the mechanism of empathy into moral sentimentalism,and contended that empathy could serve as the sentimental motivation for moral behavior and provide a reasonable explanation for people’s moral judgment and moral choice.Slote tried to expound on the advantages of moral sentimentalism over moral rationalism in explaining and dealing with moral problems through semantic analysis and psychological description,and then demonstrated the possibility of empathy as a moral basis.This paper is divided into four parts: The first part is the theoretical origin of Slote’s moral sentimentalism.First,the differences between sentimentalism and rationalism is analyzed in this part,and then the question is approached whether the morality foundation is built on sentiment or reason;Second,regarding the dilemma of modern moral philosophy,the reasons for rejecting the rationalism moral tradition are explored,and the revival of contemporary moral sentimentalism is examined against the background of the virtue ethics revival;Finally,Slote’s moral sentimentalism based on empathy is introduced,and its ideological changes and theoretical challenges are analyzed.The second part,empathy: the theoretical foundation of Slote’s moral sentimentalism.This part first examines the theoretical origin of Slote’s concept of empathy,and analyzes the influence of Hume’s theory of sympathy and the theory of empathy advanced by psychologists Batson and Hoffman on Slote’s concept of empathy;Second,it analyzes the connotation of Slote’s concept of empathy and clarifies the relationship between empathy and sympathy;Finally,the operating principle and function of empathy mechanism are analyzed.The third part involves the empathy intervention in moral judgment: defense of emotional moral judgment.This part first touches upon the theory of moral approval of modern British sentimentalism,and analyzes the advantages of Slote’s theory of moral approval based on empathy;Second,it points out the dilemma of sentimentalism moral judgment,and discusses the improvement of Slote’s moral judgment theory based on empathy;Finally,with the help of Kripke’s theory of reference fixing,the objectivity of sentimentalism moral judgment is demonstrated by means of semantic analysis.The fourth part is empathy,care and moral motivation.This part first demonstrates that empathy and empathy care can function as an effective basis for moral behavior and motivation,and provide a rational explanation for our moral obligations;Second,by investigating the weakening of natural motivation based on empathy,this paper discusses how natural motivation can ensure the legitimacy of people’s behavior when compassion fatigue occurs,and analyzes the status and the role of moral principles in moral sentimentalism based on it;Finally,Slote’s theory of caring for justice based on empathy is discussed,and the plight of the justice theory underpinned by empathy is analyzed by adopting rationalists’ criticizing his theory and Slote’s response.