Intuition and reason in the history of ethics : from moral philosophy to moral psychology

2025
journal article
article
dc.abstract.enThis paper follows the dispute over the role of intuition and reason in ethics through-out the history of the discipline. It moves from Socratic intellectualism and Aristotle’s account of character formation, through medieval debates on will and conscience and the early modern conflict between rationalists and sentimentalists, to nineteenth-cen-tury challenges from utilitarianism, evolutionary theory, and the genealogical cri-tiques of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. It closes with twentieth-century developments in empirical moral psychology. This review refers to the dual-process framework, which distinguishes between Type 1 and Type 2 processing. Moral attitudes are rela-tively stable evaluations. They tend to produce quick, affective responses without de-liberation. Moral norms, by contrast, are clear and expressible statements about what is required, forbidden, or permitted. Attitudes fit fast, automatic Type 1 judgments, while norms guide slower, more reflective Type 2 thinking. However, internalized norms can become increasingly automatic over time, and sustained reflection can re-shape attitudes. The paper concludes that intuition and reason are not competing sources of moral truth, but complementary ways of processing the same moral con-tent.
dc.contributor.authorZielonka, Piotr
dc.contributor.authorSzymanek, Krzysztof
dc.contributor.authorJakieła, Sławomir
dc.contributor.authorIdzikowska, Katarzyna
dc.date.accession2026-03-16
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-16T08:48:21Z
dc.date.available2026-03-16T08:48:21Z
dc.date.createdat2026-03-16T08:48:21Zen
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.openaccess0
dc.description.accesstimew momencie opublikowania
dc.description.additionalBibliogr. s. 105-108. This research was supported by funding provided by the Program SO-NATA BIS 9 of the National Science Centre, Poland, Grant No. 2019/34/E/ST4/00281
dc.description.number2
dc.description.physical77-108
dc.description.versionostateczna wersja wydawcy
dc.description.volume13
dc.identifier.doi10.26106/vswj-1832pl
dc.identifier.eissn2353-3900
dc.identifier.projectDRC AI
dc.identifier.project2019/34/E/ST4/00281
dc.identifier.urihttps://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/571906
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.orbisidearum.net/ui/article.asp?id=151
dc.languageeng
dc.language.containereng
dc.rightsUdzielam licencji. Uznanie autorstwa - Użycie niekomercyjne - Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowa
dc.rights.licenceCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.pl
dc.share.typeotwarte czasopismo
dc.source.integratorfalse
dc.subject.enmoral intuition
dc.subject.enmoral reasoning
dc.subject.endual-process theory
dc.subject.enhistory of ethics
dc.subject.enmoral psychology
dc.subject.enmoral norms
dc.subject.enmoral attitudes
dc.subject.enmoral evaluations
dc.subject.enmoral judg-ments
dc.subtypeArticle
dc.titleIntuition and reason in the history of ethics : from moral philosophy to moral psychology
dc.title.journalOrbis Idearum. European Journal of the History of Ideas
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublicationen
dc.abstract.en
This paper follows the dispute over the role of intuition and reason in ethics through-out the history of the discipline. It moves from Socratic intellectualism and Aristotle’s account of character formation, through medieval debates on will and conscience and the early modern conflict between rationalists and sentimentalists, to nineteenth-cen-tury challenges from utilitarianism, evolutionary theory, and the genealogical cri-tiques of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. It closes with twentieth-century developments in empirical moral psychology. This review refers to the dual-process framework, which distinguishes between Type 1 and Type 2 processing. Moral attitudes are rela-tively stable evaluations. They tend to produce quick, affective responses without de-liberation. Moral norms, by contrast, are clear and expressible statements about what is required, forbidden, or permitted. Attitudes fit fast, automatic Type 1 judgments, while norms guide slower, more reflective Type 2 thinking. However, internalized norms can become increasingly automatic over time, and sustained reflection can re-shape attitudes. The paper concludes that intuition and reason are not competing sources of moral truth, but complementary ways of processing the same moral con-tent.
dc.contributor.author
Zielonka, Piotr
dc.contributor.author
Szymanek, Krzysztof
dc.contributor.author
Jakieła, Sławomir
dc.contributor.author
Idzikowska, Katarzyna
dc.date.accession
2026-03-16
dc.date.accessioned
2026-03-16T08:48:21Z
dc.date.available
2026-03-16T08:48:21Z
dc.date.createdaten
2026-03-16T08:48:21Z
dc.date.issued
2025
dc.date.openaccess
0
dc.description.accesstime
w momencie opublikowania
dc.description.additional
Bibliogr. s. 105-108. This research was supported by funding provided by the Program SO-NATA BIS 9 of the National Science Centre, Poland, Grant No. 2019/34/E/ST4/00281
dc.description.number
2
dc.description.physical
77-108
dc.description.version
ostateczna wersja wydawcy
dc.description.volume
13
dc.identifier.doipl
10.26106/vswj-1832
dc.identifier.eissn
2353-3900
dc.identifier.project
DRC AI
dc.identifier.project
2019/34/E/ST4/00281
dc.identifier.uri
https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/571906
dc.identifier.weblink
https://www.orbisidearum.net/ui/article.asp?id=151
dc.language
eng
dc.language.container
eng
dc.rights
Udzielam licencji. Uznanie autorstwa - Użycie niekomercyjne - Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowa
dc.rights.licence
CC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.uri
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.pl
dc.share.type
otwarte czasopismo
dc.source.integrator
false
dc.subject.en
moral intuition
dc.subject.en
moral reasoning
dc.subject.en
dual-process theory
dc.subject.en
history of ethics
dc.subject.en
moral psychology
dc.subject.en
moral norms
dc.subject.en
moral attitudes
dc.subject.en
moral evaluations
dc.subject.en
moral judg-ments
dc.subtype
Article
dc.title
Intuition and reason in the history of ethics : from moral philosophy to moral psychology
dc.title.journal
Orbis Idearum. European Journal of the History of Ideas
dc.type
JournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeen
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