Justice and desert-based emotions

Author: Kristján Kristjánsson

Source: Philosophical Explorations, Volume 8, Number 1, March 2005 , pp. 53-68(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

A number of contemporary philosophers have pointed out that justice is not primarily an intellectual virtue, grounded in abstract, detached beliefs, but rather an emotional virtue, grounded in certain beliefs and desires that are compelling and deeply embedded in human nature. As a complex emotional virtue, justice seems to encompass, amongst other things, certain desert-based emotions that are developmentally and morally important for an understanding of justice. This article explores the philosophical reasons for the rising interest in desert-based emotions and offers a conceptual overview of some common emotions of this sort having to do with the fortunes of others and of oneself, respectively. The article does not give a definitive answer to the question of whether those emotions really are virtuous, but aims at enriching our understanding of what kind of virtue they might possibly represent.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1386979042000328855

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Education University of Akureyri P.O. Box 224 602 Akureyri Iceland, Email: kk@unak.is

Publication date: 2005-03-01