Morality In Context

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Morality in context is a timely topic. A debate between philosophers and social scientists is a good way to approach it. Why is there such a booming interest in morality and why does it focus on context? One starting point is the change in the sociostructural and sociocultural conditions of modern societies. This involves change in the empirical conditions of moral action and in the social demand on morality. As these changes are accounted for and analyzed in the social sciences, new perspectives emerge that give rise to new ways of framing issues and problems. These problems are best addressed by way of cooperation between philosophers and social scientists. As Habermas (1990) has pointed out in a much cited paper, philosophers depend on social science to fill in the data they require to answer the questions raised by philosophy in its "placeholder" function. The reverse also holds true: Social science needs the conceptual clarifications that philosophy can provide. With respect to morality, such mutual interchanges are of particular importance the contributions to this book show convincingly.

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MORALITY IN CONTEXT ADVANCES IN PSYCHOLOGY 137 Editor: G. E. STELMACH Amsterdam - Boston - Heidelberg - London - New York - Oxford Paris - San Diego - San Francisco - Singapore - Sydney - Tokyo MORALITY IN CONTEXT Edited by Wolfgang EDELSTEIN Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin, Germany Gertrud NUNNER-WINKLER Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Munich, Germany Amsterdam - Boston - Heidelberg - London - New York - Oxford Paris - San Diego - San Francisco - Singapore - Sydney - Tokyo ELSEVIER B.V. Radarweg 29 P.O. Box 211 1000 AE Amsterdam The Netherlands ELSEVIER Inc. 525 B Street, Suite 1900 San Diego CA 92101-4495 USA ELSEVIER Ltd The Boulevard Langford Lane, Kidlington Oxford OX5 1GB UK ELSEVIER Ltd 84 Theobalds Road London WC1X8RR UK © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright by Elsevier B.V.. and the following terms and conditions apply to its use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single chapters may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the Publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use. Permissions may be sought directly from FJsevier's Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone (+44) 1865 843830, fax (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: [email protected] Requests may also be completed on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions). In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center. Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers. MA 01923, USA; phone: (+1) (978) 7508400, fax: (+1) (978) 7504744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P OLP, UK; phone: (+44) 20 7631 5555; fax: (+44) 20 763 I 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Tables of contents may be reproduced for internal circulation, but permission of the Publisher is required for external resale or distribution of such material. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electr