Compassionate Moral Realism

Compassionate Moral Realism PDF Author: Colin Marshall
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198809689
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Colin Marshall offers a ground-up defense of objective morality, drawing inspiration from a wide range of philosophers, including John Locke, Arthur Schopenhauer, Iris Murdoch, Nel Noddings, and David Lewis. Marshall's core claim is compassion is our capacity to perceive other creatures' pains, pleasures, and desires. Non-compassionate people are therefore perceptually lacking, regardless of how much factual knowledge they might have. Marshall argues that people who do have this form of compassion thereby fit a familiar paradigm of moral goodness. His argument involves the identification of an epistemic good which Marshall dubs "being in touch". To be in touch with some property of a thing requires experiencing it in a way that reveals that property - that is, experiencing it as it is in itself. Only compassion, Marshall argues, lets us be in touch with others' motivational mental properties. This conclusion about compassion has two important metaethical consequences. First, it generates an answer to the question "Why be moral?", which has been a central philosophical concern since Plato. Second, it provides the keystone for a novel form of moral realism. This form of moral realism has a distinctive set of virtues: it is anti-relativist, naturalist, and able to identify a necessary connection between moral representation and motivation. The view also implies that there is an epistemic asymmetry between virtuous and vicious agents, according to which only morally good people can fully face reality.

Compassionate Moral Realism

Compassionate Moral Realism PDF Author: Colin Marshall
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198809689
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Get Book Here

Book Description
Colin Marshall offers a ground-up defense of objective morality, drawing inspiration from a wide range of philosophers, including John Locke, Arthur Schopenhauer, Iris Murdoch, Nel Noddings, and David Lewis. Marshall's core claim is compassion is our capacity to perceive other creatures' pains, pleasures, and desires. Non-compassionate people are therefore perceptually lacking, regardless of how much factual knowledge they might have. Marshall argues that people who do have this form of compassion thereby fit a familiar paradigm of moral goodness. His argument involves the identification of an epistemic good which Marshall dubs "being in touch". To be in touch with some property of a thing requires experiencing it in a way that reveals that property - that is, experiencing it as it is in itself. Only compassion, Marshall argues, lets us be in touch with others' motivational mental properties. This conclusion about compassion has two important metaethical consequences. First, it generates an answer to the question "Why be moral?", which has been a central philosophical concern since Plato. Second, it provides the keystone for a novel form of moral realism. This form of moral realism has a distinctive set of virtues: it is anti-relativist, naturalist, and able to identify a necessary connection between moral representation and motivation. The view also implies that there is an epistemic asymmetry between virtuous and vicious agents, according to which only morally good people can fully face reality.

Compassion

Compassion PDF Author: Werner J. Krieglstein
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004493352
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This book makes compassionate caring and connectedness the central themes. Imbedded in the human psyche we find a deep yearning for connection. This book explores the many roadblocks that human beings put in the way of a healthy and respectful dialogue with each other, with nature, and with the universe. It also cites numerous examples from literature, philosophy, and society of a reawakening sense of connectedness.

Compassionate Reasoning

Compassionate Reasoning PDF Author: Marc Gopin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197537928
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
There are many people across the planet who work every day for the sake of others but who are ensconced in exhausting work with dangerous and difficult situations of conflict. These people are often heroic bridge-builders and creators of peaceful societies, and they have a common set of cultivated moral character traits and psychosocial skills. They tend to be kinder, more reasonable, more self-controlled, and more goal-oriented to peace. They are united by a particular set of moral values and the emotional skills to put those values into practice. The aim of this book is to articulate the best combination of those values and skills that lead to personal and communal sustainability, not burnout and self-destruction. The book pivots on the observable difference in the mind-and proven in neuroscience imaging experiments-between destructive empathic distress, on the one hand, and, on the other, joyful, constructive, compassionate care. .

The Journey Towards Compassionate A.I.

The Journey Towards Compassionate A.I. PDF Author: Jean-Luc Mommaerts
Publisher: AURELIS
ISBN:
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
It may take a few more decades, but ‘soon enough,’ A.I. will turn into super-A.I. This is an artificial intelligence which in all areas of what is now seen as ‘human intelligence’ approaches this, then surpasses it. After that, it will keep growing exponentially. In the meantime, at relatively short notice, humanity will encounter a challenging A.I. bi-bottleneck: 1) humans possibly misusing A.I. in a big way, and 2) A.I. spiraling into many directions of which any unfortunate one may be enough for disaster. Will we control A.I. or will A.I. dominate us? Let’s hope this is the wrong question. Because if it’s the right question, and given enough time, there is no shred of a doubt about the answer. Still, of course, we need to give it our best shot not to be dominated by an evil force. We should strive for control. At the same time, transcending the question opens up the domain of Compassion. This gradually makes thinking in terms of ‘control’ and ‘domination’ in human – A.I. interactions obsolete. We will together strive for a better world within an alignment of our values. But what are the real human values? There are cultural and individual differences. Moreover, what seem to be anyone’s values may be a superficial layer above deeper values, which are not necessarily congruent with conscious awareness. So, the human/A.I. value alignment question will be: how to align what? I write in The Journey about Compassion as the striving to approach these values in their deeper sense. They can subsequently be realized for each individual in two directions: relief of deep suffering and enhancement of inner growth. Both notions are to be clarified at the individual level. Compassionate A.I. is (the striving towards) an A.I. that can help us to know and to realize ourselves in-depth. The beauty is that this way, human/A.I. value alignment and further development of A.I. can intrinsically go hand in hand. Lisa is a software coaching chat-bot that is being developed specifically with this goal: helping humans and A.I. in Compassionate ways to become healthier, stronger and more effectively Compassionate towards near ones as well as all sentient beings. In this book, ‘super-A.I.’ is the future kind of A.I. that may be able – but not necessarily! – to act Compassionately. We don’t have to wait for that, for Compassionate A.I. to become important. Already, humans can use A.I. more or less Compassionately. From what point is it relevant as a characteristic of the A.I. system itself, regardless of how humans use the A.I.? There is no steep border. Long before super-A.I., the first systems in which it becomes more pertinent, are those in which Compassion is part of the purpose. That is, systems that in communication with users are meant to give an effectively Compassionate experience. To understand where Compassionate A.I. may be heading towards, we need to understand Compassion. This leads us on a journey, starting on the one hand from ‘data’ and on the other hand from drive-to-thrive (life itself). On this journey, we encounter many insights about intelligence, consciousness, drive-to-thrive, non-conscious processing... The end of the journey lies in full Compassion. Hopefully, this is the future for A.I. as well as humanity.

Reach Out

Reach Out PDF Author: Virginia Loh-Hagan
Publisher: Cherry Lake
ISBN: 1534160671
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
Books in the Just Breathe series provide readers with tools on how to practice mindfulness throughout their day. In Reach Out: Being Compassionate, students will learn about practicing compassion toward themselves and others. Readers are provided with helpful exercises, tips, and activities to better manage their thoughts and feelings. The book is written with a high-interest level to appeal to a more mature audience and with a lower level of complexity and considerate text to help struggling readers. Includes table of contents, glossary, and index.

The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Ending Overeating

The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Ending Overeating PDF Author: Ken Goss
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1459624211
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 494

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Book Description
You know the cycle: you have a stressful day and find yourself snacking or overeating at dinner to make yourself feel better. The ritual of eating becomes so calming, you can't stop-and the guilt and self-criticism you feel can lead you to overeat even more the next day. What you may not know is that simply replacing your negative feelings with compassion for yourself can interrupt this cycle so that you can meet your emotional needs without resorting to overeating. The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Ending Overeating presents an evidence-based program designed to help you grow a deep and abiding love for your body and health that transcends your emotional connection with food. As you work through the worksheets and evaluations in this book, you'll discover the specific reasons for your overeating, find out which foods trigger you to overeat, and then develop satisfying meal plans for getting your eating back on track. You'll also build compassionate-mind skills for dealing with stress, self-criticism, and shame, and establish a balanced eating pattern that will free you from the overeating cycle.

Compassion

Compassion PDF Author: Roger A. Lewin
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Incorporated
ISBN: 1461734584
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
This text is an attempt to stimulate and support therapists' efforts to take care of themselves, to understand and maintain commitment. Such reflection, it argues helps therapists to be active and receptive.

Compulsory Compassion

Compulsory Compassion PDF Author: Annalise E. Acorn
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 9780774809436
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Restorative justice is often touted as the humane and politically progressive alternative to the rigid philosophy of retributive punishment that underpins many of the world's judicial systems. Emotionally seductive, its rhetoric appeals to a desire for a "right-relation" among individuals and communities, an offers us a vision of justice that allows for the mutual healing of victim and offender, and with it, a sense of communal repair. In Compulsory Compassion, Annalise Acorn, a one-time advocate for restorative justice, deconstructs the rhetoric of the restorative movement. Drawing from diverse legal, literary, philosophical, and autobiographical sources, she questions the fundamental assumptions behind that rhetoric: that we can trust wrongdoers' performances of contrition; that healing lies in a respectful, face-to-face encounter between victim and offender; and that the restorative idea of right-relation holds the key to a reconciliation of justice and accountability on the one hand, with love and compassion on the other.

Compassion

Compassion PDF Author: Rodger Charlton
Publisher: Royal College of General Practitioners
ISBN: 0850844150
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Compassion takes as its starting point 'Cum scientia caritas', the motto of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Translated as 'Science with compassion', it captures the technical and caring aspects of being a doctor. Science is continually developing but compassion is unchanging. But how relevant is compassion to the NHS today? Compassion is central to the practice of health care. Patients require compassion as much as they require knowledge and technical skill from their healthcare professionals. Compassion should be a motivation for anyone choosing a career in primary care. However, in recent years there have been startling instances where compassion has not been shown. Compassion: Compassion, Continuity and Caring in the NHS is a reminder that compassion is at the heart of good medical practice. The book is split into sections on patients, education and training, clinicians and future developments. There are overview chapters on access to health care, the changing model of NHS care, a history of GP selection procedures and ways of preparing the next generation of GPs. This wide-ranging book also contains chapters on specific topics: the role of the multidisciplinary team, homeless patients, prescribing, nursing in primary care, post-conflict symptoms, suicide prevention and more. Personal perspectives are also given: A layman provides a personal account of the end-of-life care his wife received. A junior doctor reflects on the different factors that guide compassion. And a doctor from the United States offers a worrying picture of primary health care's possible fate. This book looks to the future too with chapters on scholarship, building resilience, mindfulness, continuity of care and the development of a new professionalism. This book will help the reader reconsider and re-evaluate compassion - the characteristic so important in creating a long-term relationship between health professional and patient.

The Compassionate Mind Approach to Beating Overeating

The Compassionate Mind Approach to Beating Overeating PDF Author: Kenneth Goss
Publisher: Robinson
ISBN: 1849019010
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
This self-help book explores the problems created by having ready access to high fat foods designed to taste good. Because we evolved in conditions of relative scarcity we have few natural food inhibitors and so most diet books try to encourage people to inhibit their eating by highly rule governed behaviours which have to be constantly worked at. However, this can lead to various forms of self-criticism which can undermine efforts at self-control. As a result our relationship with eating can be complex, multifaceted and problematic. Beating Overeating Using Compassion Focused Therapy uses Compassion Focused Therapy - a groundbreaking new therapeutic approach - to understand and work with our urges and passions for food. We can learn to enjoy and accept food and pay attention to our biological and emotional needs. This book is for people who have tried diets and found that they don't work and will enable the reader to have a healthier and happier relationship with food and their body. Topics covered: The relationship between our brains and food, the evolutionary background to finding, conserving and eating food How too much or too little food affects the brain, why diets don't work, factors affecting our eating behaviour (tastes, stress, comfort, etc) Body shape and culture Developing an inner compassion for one's relationship with food - recognising what we need and what is helpful