Between Psychology and Philosophy: East-West Themes and Beyond (Palgrave Studies in Comparative East-West Philosophy)

This open access book discusses a variety of important but unprecedented ways in which psychology can be useful to philosophy. The early chapters illustrate this theme via comparisons between Chinese and Western philosophy. It is argued that the Chinese notion of a heart-mind is superior to the Western concept of mind, but then, more even-handedly, the relative strengths and weaknesses of Chinese and Western thought overall are critically examined. In later chapters, the philosophical uses of psychology are treated more specifically in relation to major issues in Western philosophy. Michael Slote shows that empathy and emotion play a role in speech acts (like assertion and thanking) that speech act theory has totally ignored. Similarly, he treats the age-old question of whether justice pays using psychological material that has not previously been recognized. Finally, the implications of psychological egoism are discussed in terms of some new psychological and, indeed, human distinctions. Human life is pervaded by instincts and aspirations that are neither egoistic nor altruistic, and recognizing that fact can help put egoism in its place. It is less of a challenge to morality than we have realized. Preface 6 Contents 9 Chapter 1: Introduction 11 Chapter 2: Yin-Yang, Mind, and Heart-Mind 15 1 15 2 17 3 22 Chapter 3: Moral Self-Cultivation East and West: A Critique 37 1 37 2 41 3 43 4 48 5 51 Chapter 4: Philosophical Deficiencies East and West 59 1 59 2 64 3 66 4 68 Chapter 5: The Many Roles of Empathy 71 1 72 2 74 3 81 4 89 5 98 Chapter 6: How Justice Pays 103 1 104 2 105 3 109 4 112 5 116 6 119 Chapter 7: The Impossibility of Egoism 125 1 126 2 131 3 138 Chapter 8: Further Connections 145 1 145 2 150 3 157 4 163 Chapter 9: Conclusion 167 Appendix A: Philosophy’s Dirty Secret: What Philosophy of Science and Virtue Epistemology Need to Learn About Human Irrationality 171 1 172 2 174 3 175 4 181 5 188 Appendix B: Care Ethics, Empathy, and Liberalism 192 1 192 2 200 References 207 Appendix C: Yin-Yang, Adult Identity, and the Good Life 209 1 210 2 212 3 215 Index 218 Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction (Michael Slote)....Pages 1-4 Yin-Yang, Mind, and Heart-Mind (Michael Slote)....Pages 5-26 Moral Self-Cultivation East and West: A Critique (Michael Slote)....Pages 27-48 Philosophical Deficiencies East and West (Michael Slote)....Pages 49-60 The Many Roles of Empathy (Michael Slote)....Pages 61-92 How Justice Pays (Michael Slote)....Pages 93-114 The Impossibility of Egoism (Michael Slote)....Pages 115-134 Further Connections (Michael Slote)....Pages 135-156 Conclusion (Michael Slote)....Pages 157-160 Back Matter ....Pages 161-215