tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post8724993982866940..comments2024-03-25T11:49:21.281-07:00Comments on The Splintered Mind: Philosophy Contest: Write a Philosophical Argument That Convinces Research Participants to Donate to CharityEric Schwitzgebelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-66419161058307809172020-01-08T07:20:43.988-08:002020-01-08T07:20:43.988-08:00Not published yet, I'm afraid!Not published yet, I'm afraid!Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-45846398896537205742019-12-30T15:56:29.315-08:002019-12-30T15:56:29.315-08:00Are the original essays used in "Narrative bu...Are the original essays used in "Narrative but Not Philosophical Argument Motivates Giving to Charity" or followups published anywhere? Knowing what doesn't work seems pretty valuable to constructing an argument that does work.Linchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246518983588239924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-40144396991082786732019-12-30T13:58:11.458-08:002019-12-30T13:58:11.458-08:00Appreciate the quick response! I'll probably s...Appreciate the quick response! I'll probably submit something where the authorship is non-central so you can remove the line/paragraph without destroying the rest of the argument.Linchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246518983588239924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-67634650404202279682019-12-30T13:12:26.059-08:002019-12-30T13:12:26.059-08:00Interesting question, Linch! I can't check wi...Interesting question, Linch! I can't check with Fiery about this at this late date, but I'd say submit something and we'll reach a post-hoc decision about whether it's in the spirit of the contest. Sorry not to be more specific!Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-52647647246945216952019-12-30T12:40:15.933-08:002019-12-30T12:40:15.933-08:00You said mentioning the individual reader is fine,...You said mentioning the individual reader is fine, but is mentioning the author (I) fine? <br /><br />It's probably relevant to a lot of readers if an author believes what they say and walks the walk (eg, took the Giving What We Can pledge, or has donated $X,000 to the recommended charity before)Linchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246518983588239924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-78132418608534440132019-12-26T17:45:30.428-08:002019-12-26T17:45:30.428-08:00Notably, some of the more famous examples of pract...Notably, some of the more famous examples of practical moral philosophy (Singer's drowning child in Famine, Affluence and Morality comes to mind) uses vivid hypothetical examples.Linchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246518983588239924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-38954272964836905192019-12-19T16:38:38.983-08:002019-12-19T16:38:38.983-08:00How do thought experiments motivate behaviour to a...How do thought experiments motivate behaviour to a greater extent than standard arguments?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17898426800377126773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-32664864032156367382019-11-04T17:28:34.997-08:002019-11-04T17:28:34.997-08:00Anon Oct 28: Apologies for not noticing your comme...Anon Oct 28: Apologies for not noticing your comment sooner. Footnotes are okay. They count toward the word count if they are part of the stimulus the participant sees, not if they are just for the researchers' eyes.<br /><br />Anon Nov 4: I'm not sure that it does require the appeal to reasons in the sense you describe. When and if we get a winner (and maybe some others that beat chance) it would be interesting to speculate on the mechanisms. It could be something simple like exertion of social authority or the vividness of a positive exemplar -- which maybe need or maybe don't need to involve "reasons" in the relevant sense (depending on what a reason is and on how the human mind works!).Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-86590944842133033852019-11-04T10:14:59.238-08:002019-11-04T10:14:59.238-08:00I just had a thought about this contest occur rand...I just had a thought about this contest occur randomly as I was enjoying my coffee and reading some Korsgaard - would answering this contest correctly require answering something like Korsgaard's normative question insofar as you will have to provide reasons that lead someone to conclude something of the shape "I should do such and such"? And so the possibility of success or failure of the contest would be dependent on whether it is possible to provide such reasons that lead to a first personal, non-neutral conclusion about what is to be done? I feel like this isn't right, but I thought I'd toss this idea out there! (Sort of a general worry about the efficacy of philosophical argument leading to changes in moral behavior might be cached out as a species of a more general worry about the efficacy of reasons for dictating our moral behavior more generally)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-41582143951644350542019-10-28T04:46:34.489-07:002019-10-28T04:46:34.489-07:00Are footnotes acceptable to reference sources? And...Are footnotes acceptable to reference sources? And do footnotes count in the wordcount?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-85709030122860359732019-10-25T12:59:25.650-07:002019-10-25T12:59:25.650-07:00Thanks for the comments, Martin and Nicole!
Yes, ...Thanks for the comments, Martin and Nicole!<br /><br />Yes, I agree that focusing on individuals and finding an emotional ground can help arguments be more effective. The challenge and question here is whether an argument can be effective *without* such elements, or whether maybe really it's those elements that do the work in effective arguments. Can argument alone, without emotion and without specific individuals in view, inspire behavioral change?Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16274774112862434865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-53788721933600193532019-10-25T06:36:22.973-07:002019-10-25T06:36:22.973-07:00Interesting to exclude appeals to emotions - on so...Interesting to exclude appeals to emotions - on some philosophical theories it is emotional engagement that motivates :)Nicole Hassounnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-89345561005325126792019-10-25T01:41:47.951-07:002019-10-25T01:41:47.951-07:00Intriguing challenge! However, I wonder about thi...Intriguing challenge! However, I wonder about this restriction: "No mention of individual people, including imaginary protagonists ("Bob")." - Thinking back, many of my decisions were based, to some degree at least, on trust in individual people.Martin Lenzhttps://handlingideas.blog/noreply@blogger.com