Study Notes from The Essential Dewey, Volume 2: Ethics, Logic, Psychology

Publication Details: 1998 by Indiana University Press
Contents Overview:
- Volume 1: Pragmatisim, Education, Democracy
- Volume 2: Ethics
Editor Information: Edited by Larry A. Hickman and Thomas M. Alexander
ISBN Information:
- ISBN 0-253-33390-3 (cl: v. 1)
- ISBN 0-253-21184-0 (pbk. v. 1)
- ISBN 0-253-33391-1 (cl v. 2)
- ISBN 0-253-21185-9 (pbk.: v. 2)

Reflective morality's links to knowledge in a moral sense, including a discussion on its function, origin, and operation.
Key Philosophical Perspectives:
- Approval and resentment as fundamental ethical factors, emphasizing instinctive character with a lesser role for intellectual factors in morals.
- Kant’s perspective establishing Moral Reason as the supreme authority of duty, suggesting a unique faculty for awareness of duty's rightful authority.
- Plato’s viewpoint on the identification of Good with the ends of desire as paramount, leading to insights that distinguish between mere emotion and a rational understanding of good.
Key Questions Raised:
- Do thought and knowledge serve merely as attendants to emotion, or do they actively influence moral judgement?
- Are moral judgments distinct from ordinary practical judgments, or do they share the same foundations?

Immediate valuing as an intuitive act and the dual distinction between reflective judgment and direct admiration.
The role of early experiences and social influences in shaping moral intuitions:
- Children's moral responses are influenced by adult views, which are often emotional and formative.
- Limitations of moral intuition pointed out, including distortions produced by irrelevant early influences.
The argument against excessive reliance on intuitive moral judgments leading to prejudice or bias, noting that moral convictions may evolve with experience and new information.

The necessity for a keen sensitivity to situations for accurate moral judgment; this sensitivity complements intellectual engagement and deliberation.
Moral judgments as emotional connections influencing behavior and the importance of both emotional intelligence and cognitive insight in ethical decision-making.

Deliberation transcends mere instinct and involves conscientiousness, which is an objective attentiveness toward the potential impacts of one's actions.
Genuine conscientiousness encourages moral growth, while rigid moral rule adherence can stifle this development, leading to over-conscientiousness which breeds anxiety.
Reflection upon one’s actions as necessary for moral insight and personal development.

Principles as philosophical generalizations arising from collective experiences, serving as practical tools for moral judgment but often misused as rigid rules.
Conflicts Between Principles and Rules:
- Principles develop from real experiences while rules can restrict moral insight and lead to formalism.
- The rigidity of fixed moral rules can lead to moral dilemmas and oversimplifications in complex situations.

Fixed standards impede moral progress by encouraging complacency and a failure to adapt to changing social conditions.
Understanding morality in a cultural and contextual context is critical for effective ethical decision-making.
Ethical systems emphasizing absolute moral rules may lead to a superficial understanding of ethics, potentially creating divisions and inadaptability in social evolution.

Recognition of scientific advancements and social conditions as integral to moral judgments and concepts, advocating for a synergistic relationship between scientific and moral knowledge.
The importance of continuously revisiting and re-evaluating moral principles in light of new knowledge and societal changes.

The evolving nature of moral knowledge and the need for a fluid approach to ethical standards, emphasizing that while certain fundamental aspects of morality may remain stable, the understanding and application of these morals demand flexibility to adapt to contemporary realities.