Caring, the Emotions, and Social Norm Compliance

摘要

Does emotion motivate social norm compliance? This paper addresses this question by examining some of the aspects of the motivational structure of social norm compliance. It argues two claims: First, neither resentment nor pleasure is the ultimate motive of norm compliance; second, caring is necessary, both to feel certain emotions and to comply with norms. According to my proposal, caring is a relatively stable volitional profile, something through which agents steadily orient their behaviors within their environments in pursuit of a good life. Explicating this notion, at both the personal and subpersonal level of explanation, helps to see in what sense we cannot feel certain emotions or comply with social norms unless we possess the capacity to care.