Moral actions characteristically emanate from moral perception; therefore, if
we are to improve moral action, we should see to improving moral
perception. Accordingly, this thesis prioritizes the importance of moral
perception in moral performance. Yet, perception is usually interpreted as
reception and, hence, lying outside one's direct control, in which case the
notion of improving moral perception would be limited. However, many
contemporary moral theorists who profess the primacy of moral perception
are rather strongly committed to such a notion as evidenced in their pursuit
of the possibility of open moral perception which is not rigidly prescribed by
prior doxastic and dispositional conditions. I problematize this situation by
arguing that in the way perception ordinarily operates, which is
superimposition of the subject's beliefs and dispositions on what is perceived,
moral perception as open perception is not possible in any serious sense.
Unless this superimposition is first of all recognized—a difficult task, given
our tendency to objectify what is perceived—and, secondly, given to
deconstruction in both theory and experience, the proposal for open
perception would not yield far-reaching results. I examine this tendency to
objectification and attempt to repudiate our foundational subject-object
dualistic epistemology and ontology that lie behind this tendency. Then I
consider how the resulting thesis of nonduality can be experientially
established. For this step, I explore the resources available in the Buddhist
tradition of vipassana theory and practice which proposes laying bare the
process of superimposition, and furthermore, deconstructing it experientially,
thereby availing to us the possibility of nondual moral perception—that is,
perception freed from the enthrallment of superimposition. I also explore
the epistemology and phenomenology behind vipassana, and I attempt to
picture human intentionality in the mode of nonduality. Furthermore, I
attempt to construct a general ethical theory, which I term "nondual ethic,"
that centralizes empathic, compassionate, and harmony-making perception.
Finally, I consider the kinds of educative practices that foster nondual ways of
experience, and hence nondual moral perception. With this thesis, I lay the
preliminary groundwork for further investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/6249 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Bai, Hee-Soon |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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