Traditional sources of morality—philosophical ethics, religious standards, and cultural values—are being questioned at a time when we most need morality’s direction. Research shows that though moral direction is vital to our identities, happiness, productivity and relationships, there is a decline in its development and use, especially among younger adults.
This book argues that hermeneutic moral realism is the best hope for meeting the twenty-first century challenges of scientism, individualism, and postmodernism. In addition to providing a thorough understanding of moral realism, the volume also takes preliminary steps toward its application in important practical settings, including research, psychotherapy, politics, and publishing.
Introduction: Moral Grounds in the Postmodern Era: The Reality of Hermeneutic Morality in Psychology. Brent D Slife and Stephen C. Yanchar Section 1 Chapter 1: Hermeneutic Moral Realism, Participational Agency, and World Disclosure Stephen Yanchar and Brent D. Slife Chapter 2: The Moral Hermeneutic of Scientific Justification. Joshua W. Clegg Chapter 3: Culture and Hermeneutic Moral Realism. Jacob R. Hickman Section 2 Chapter 4: Psychotherapy and the Moral Realism of Charles Taylor. Brent Slife, Eric A. Ghelfi, and Nathan M. Slife Chapter 5: The moral affordances of publishing practices. Joshua W. Clegg Chapter 6: Politics and Moral Realism. Frank C. Richardson, Robert C. Bishop, and Kathleen L. Slaney Chapter 7: Inquiry into Moral Configurations. Stephen C. Yanchar and Susan Peterson Gong
Brent D. Slife is a clinical psychologist and, until his recent retirement, was Professor of Psychology at Brigham Young University, USA. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology and received the Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association for his contribution to psychology. Stephen C. Yanchar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University, USA. He is primarily interested in theoretical and philosophical issues in education and psychology, especially those pertaining to agency and learning, qualitative inquiry, and design practices.
