The work presents a thorough and engaging overview of a pernnial problem
in philosophy --the relation between moral theory and human limitations
-- which is examined in an interdisciplinary context. This treatment
emphasizes the character of the problem and focuses on proposed methods
for dealing with it which lie outside the normal philosophical path of
discourse but are nonetheless at the core of 20th-century American
philosophy.
Dr. Morris's monograph presents an examination of the constraints placed
upon ethical theory by certain aspects of contemporary psychological
theory, specifically behaviorism. These constraints were outlined in
many of the writings of John Dewey. The present text culs and organizes
Dewey's thougth regarding the issue. It traces the development of
Dewey's thoughts regarding the interrelations between ethics and
psychology from his early papers to his last works. For contrast and
dimension, a parallel discussion is presented for B.F.Skinner. The book
focuses on Dewey's insistence that an adequate ethical theory must be
modeled within the context of the most current psychological theories;
among the latter Dewey saw behaviorism as most promising. Skinner's
behaviorism is outlined and extra-psychological views are presented
regarding ethical matters and ethical outcomes.
