McGeer and Hurley on Self-Knowledge and Responsibility

Abstract

What does empirical, psychological research on situated rationality mean for contemporary theories of self-knowledge and moral responsibility in philosophy? In this paper, I consider four cases of non-deliberative thought and action — stereotype threat, implicit bias, unreflective voting decisions, and manipulative advertising practices that lead to harm. Extending Victoria McGeer’s points in The Moral Development of First-Person Authority, I clarify how supporting democratic policies that mitigate unwanted effects of these judgments can develop our own self-knowledge and capacity for individual responsibility.