blaine j. fowers, ph.d. university of miami. big picture 1. personhood is central 2. identity core...
TRANSCRIPT
PERSONHOOD, IDENTITY AND THE GOOD LIFE FOR SOCIAL BEINGS
Blaine J. Fowers, Ph.D.University of Miami
Big Picture1. Personhood is central2. Identity core of personhood3. Identity is social in nature
a. Relational identity in infancyb. Relational identity in adulthood
4. Identity serves social functions5. Aristotle’s function argument6. The good life for social beings
What is a Person? Agency Rights Dignity Temporal unity Moral responsibility Self-awareness Self-interpretive
The Centrality of Identity Necessary for personhood Identity distinguishes No “I” without “you” No “we” without “them” Identity is relational
Neonate Sociality Facial recognition Synchrony
Rhythmic interaction Temporal matching Social contingency Mutual gaze first Body games
Infant Sociality Mutually Responsive
Orientation Responsiveness
Distress Needs Bids for attention Influence attempts
Shared positive affect
“Self”-Regulation Affect regulation Highest positive arousal “External” regulation Mutual regulation Self-regulation
Self-recognition Verbal self-reference
Toddler Sociality Committed Compliance Moral self
Recognize rules and standards Self-evaluation Moral emotions
Collective Identity Social
categorization Individual identity Collective identity
Social categorization heuristic
Social identity heuristic
Collective Identity
Identify who matters Transformation of motivation
In-group favoritism Prioritize in-group over self Loyalty heuristic
Group Goal Transformation
Before Feedback
After Feedback
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
Group IdentityIndividual Identity
Co
ntr
ibu
tio
ns
De Cremer & van Dijk, 2002
Group Loyalty
Unattractive Exit
Attractive Exit3
3.5
4
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
Group IdentityIndividual Identity
Rem
ain
in
Gro
up
Van Vugt & Hart 2004
Baseball Rivalry
Favored Team Success
Ventral Striatum Pleasure Ratings
Favored Team Failure Anterior Cingulate
Cortex
Rival Team Failure
Rival Team Success
Pain Ratings
AggressionEndorsement
Cikara, Botvinick, & Fiske, 2011
Aristotle’s Natural Ethics Priority of the Good Function argument
Function Argument
Human Social Functions Identity takes enormous energy
Social coordination Attachment Cooperation Coordinated activity Norms
Particularity Accountability
Ethical Beings
Essentially social creatures The Good Life for social beings
Ethical questions Social excellences Ubiquity of ethics “We” as important as “I”
The Good as an attractor
AcknowledgementThis work was funded by a generous
grant from the Arsht Ethics Initiatives and
the University of Miami Ethics Programs