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Exploring the relationship between virtue ethics and moral identity

Publication Authors: 
Changwoo Jeong and Hyemin Han
Publication Year: 
2013
Publication Journal: 
Ethics & Behavior, 23(1), 44-56. DOI: 10.1080/10508422.2012.714245

The concept of moral identity based on virtue ethics has become an issue of considerable import in explaining moral behavior. This attempt to offer adequate explanations of the full range of morally relevant human behavior inevitably provokes boundary issues between ethics and moral psychology. In terms of the relationship between the two disciplines, some argue for “naturalized (or psychologized) morality,” while on the other hand, others insist on “moralized psychology.” This article investigates the relationship between virtue ethics and moral identity based on previous research on the relationship between ethics and moral psychology. It especially attempts to show that meaningful links between the two concepts are possible by using theoretical frameworks constructed by the most influential philosophers of science such as Kuhn and Lakatos.

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