Thesis advisor: Richard Kearney / I propose and analyze moral emotions that are fittingly experienced when one is socially, institutionally, or structurally affiliated with a perpetrator without causally contributing to their harm. The project explores the nature, scope, and urgency of our reactive attitudes and concomitant responsibilities that arise on account of harms caused by social and political relations. Drawing from resources in phenomenology, social epistemology, moral psychology, and feminist ethics, I argue that affective experiences can direct attention towards the moral salience of our relations and open the way for taking accountability for others’ harm. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

La culpabilité est une émotion introspective résultant de la réflexion sur l'association entre le soi et ses propres torts. Parce que la culpabilité montre les aspects probablement désagréables du soi, les individus sont motivés à se déculpabiliser. D'après les théories traditionnelles de la culpabilité, la culpabilité vient de processus cognitifs de haut niveau et son intensité dépend du niveau d'attribution de la faute au soi. Ces théories, fondées sur les théories standards de cognition, soulignent les aspects intellectuels et rationnels de la culpabilité. Les théories de l'embodiment rejettent la séparation entre les états corporels et situationnels et la connaissance. Les stimuli sociaux peuvent produire des états somatiques et susciter des réponses dans le soi. Les états corporels et viscéraux du soi peuvent susciter des états affectifs. Selon les théories personnifiées, la culpabilité doit aussi être influencée par des états corporels et situationnels. Nos études ont visé à comprendre les influences des facteurs corporels et contextuels sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Une première étude (N=65) a comparé l'efficacité de l'observation et de la personnification de nettoyage sur la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que (a) l'observation de nettoyage a pu déculpabiliser les individus et les conduire à se comporter moins prosocialement mais qu'elle était moins efficace que la personnification de nettoyage ; (b) la personnification du concept de nettoyage a pu apaiser les jugements moraux sévères. Deux études (N=393) ont ensuite exploré l'effet de l'approbation sociale sur la déculpabilisation au moyen de la personnification du concept de la propreté. Les résultats ont montré que l'approbation sociale était un facteur important dans la personnification du concept de la propreté et qu'elle a pu modérer l'effet du concept de propreté sur la déculpabilisation. Deux études (N=141) ont enfin analysé l'effet de l'épuisement et de la restauration d'énergie sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que l'épuisement a diminué le sentiment de culpabilité puis le comportement prosocial, et que la restauration d'énergie a pu restaurer la capacité d'éprouver de la culpabilité. Nos travaux montrent que, la culpabilité est une émotion morale et prosociale qui est dépendante de facteurs corporels et situationnels. Des changements de statuts corporels et contextuels peuvent contribuer à déculpabiliser les individus. / Guilt is an introspective emotion resulting from the reflection on the association between the self and one's own wrongs. Because guilt shows the undesirable aspects of the self, people are motivated not to feel guilt. According to traditional theories of guilt, guilt comes from high-level cognitive processes and its intensity depends on the extent to which the fault is attributed to the self. These theories, which are based on standard theories of cognition, emphasize the intellectual and rational aspect of guilt. Embodied theories reject the separation between situational and bodily states and knowledge. Social stimuli can produce somatic states and elicit responses in the self. The visceral and bodily states in the self can generate affective states. According to embodied theories, guilt could also be influenced by bodily and situational states. Our research aimed to understand the influences of bodily and contextual factors on guilt and reducing guilt. One study (N = 65) compared the efficacy of observation of cleansing and the embodied cleaning on reducing guilt. The results showed that the observation of cleaning could make people feel less guilty and lead them to behave less prosocially. But it was less effective than embodied cleansing. Two studies (N = 393) explored the effect of social approval on reducing guilt through the embodiment of the concept of cleanliness. The results showed that social approval was an important factor in embodiment of the concept of cleanliness and it could moderate the effect of the concept of cleanliness on removing guilt. Two studies (N = 141) studied the effect of depletion and restoration of energy on guilt and reducing guilt. The results showed that depletion could reduce guilt feelings and subsequent prosocial behavior and that restoration of energy could restore the ability to feel guilt. In conclusion, guilt is a moral and prosocial emotion which is dependent on bodily and situational factors. Changes in bodily and contextual states can cause people to feel less guilty.

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Yes / Meat eaters and meat abstainers differ in their beliefs and moral emotions related to meat consumption alongside gender differences. Few studies have investigated beliefs and moral emotions in pescatarians and vegans. Little is known about differences in moral emotions and beliefs regarding dairy, eggs, and fish or about speciesist beliefs within and between specific dietary groups. To address this gap, we investigated moral emotions (consumption-related disgust and guilt), attitudes towards animals (Animal Attitudes Scale) and justifying beliefs related to meat (Carnism Inventory), dairy, egg, and fish consumption in omnivores (n = 167), pescatarians (n = 110), vegetarians (n = 116), and vegans (n = 149). Results showed that people who consumed animal-derived products reported lower disgust and guilt and held stronger justifying beliefs about consumption of these products, than those who did not consume animal products. All dietary groups significantly differed from each other in their attitudes about using animals for human benefit, with omnivores showing the least positive attitudes towards animals, followed by pescatarians and vegetarians, and with vegans showing the most positive attitudes towards animals. Women experienced greater moral emotions and held fewer justifying beliefs than men within groups where animal products were consumed and this was related to the animal-based products they consume (i.e., fish for pescatarians and eggs/dairy for vegetarians). These findings emphasise the importance of considering a wider range of animal products, and dietary groups in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the psychological underpinnings of animal product consumption. The results highlight differences between dietary groups in attitudes and moral concern towards animals, which may be important to consider when designing interventions to reduce animal product consumption.

Moral formation is a crucial aspect of the training that young Christian leaders have to be exposed to during their education. A holistic focus was adopted to analyse the nuances of the moral self and give moral formation the focus it requires. Three major areas of the moral self namely knowledge, emotion and socialization have been investigated. The study was exploratory in nature and made use of a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed with a constructivist framework using content analysis. Findings mainly related to the three areas under focus with the impact of emotions being the most prominent. The influence of the Holy Spirit was also a key finding as charismatic emerging adults depended on his guidance during moral decision making. The data also reflected the significant interaction and overlap of the three areas exercising an influence on emerging adults’ moral decision making. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Moral formation is a crucial aspect of the training that young Christian leaders have to be exposed to during their education. A holistic focus was adopted to analyse the nuances of the moral self and give moral formation the focus it requires. Three major areas of the moral self namely knowledge, emotion and socialization have been investigated. The study was exploratory in nature and made use of a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed with a constructivist framework using content analysis. Findings mainly related to the three areas under focus with the impact of emotions being the most prominent. The influence of the Holy Spirit was also a key finding as charismatic emerging adults depended on his guidance during moral decision making. The data also reflected the significant interaction and overlap of the three areas exercising an influence on emerging adults’ moral decision making. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

當人們談論動物保護時，可能提出的問題大約不脫「人類是否應該保護動物」、「人類為何保護動物」、「人類應該保護哪些動物」，以及「人類如何保護動物」之延伸範疇，針對這四個問題又可以依所採之研究基礎偏重倫理學或法學，而有各種不同的回應。 本文採取偏重法學角度之立場，從實定法出發，隨時序個別分析我國及德國動物保護法之歷史發展及現行法呈現之樣貌後，藉由與咸認先進的德國動物保護法制及其背後所可能隱含之人與動物關係的歷史變遷進行比較研究，試圖在同與異之間尋找我國動物保護法所隱含的人與動物關係之可能解釋，此乃嘗試從實定法追溯背後的倫理學意涵，並在此解釋基礎上，進一步探求動物保護法益之可能回答，由倫理學再回歸法學領域，均是試圖回應「人類是否應該保護動物」及「人類為何保護動物」二問。 最後嘗試藉由求得之動物保護法益「道德感情」來建構我國動物保護刑事規範，則是試圖給出「人類應該保護哪些動物」及「人類如何保護動物」二問在刑事法層面上之回答，對現行動物保護法刑事規範提出修正建議，包括將動物一般保護規定及刑事規範分勾，擴張動物一般保護之客體範疇而維持刑事規範涉及之行為客體範圍，以重構本文理想之動保刑事規範。 / When referring to animal protection, the most popular questions probably will be within the range of the following four. Should humans protect animals? Why should humans protect animals? What kind of animals should humans protect? And the final one, how do humans protect animals? The answers can be changed depending on the different views, like ethics view or legal point of view. This study basically focuses on the legal point of view, starting with Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act and German’s Animal Welfare Act (in German: Tierschutzgesetz), by comparing those two different animal protection systems, trying to figure out the development level of Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act in the tide of the world’s development of animal welfare, then using the conclusion to explore the legal interest of animal protection, attempting to answer the first two questions: Should humans protect animals? And why? Furthermore, using the legal interest “moral emotion” to construct ideal animal protection criminal legal norms, attempting to answer the rest of the questions: What kind of animals should humans protect? And how to protect? The final purpose is to reconstruct an ideal animal protection criminal law system in Taiwan.