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Against the Yuck Factor: On the Ideal Role of Disgust in Society

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  • KELLY, DANIEL
  • MORAR, NICOLAE

Abstract

The view we defend is that in virtue of its nature, disgust is not fit to do any moral or social work whatsoever, and that there are no defensible uses for disgust in legal or political institutions. We first describe our favoured empirical theory of the nature of disgust. Turning from descriptive to normative issues, we address the best arguments in favour of granting disgust the power to justify certain judgements, and to serve as a social tool, respectively. Daniel Kahan advances a pair of theses that suggest disgust is indispensable (Moral Indispensability Thesis), and so has an important part to play in the functioning of a just, well-ordered society (Conservation Thesis). We develop responses and show how they rebut the arguments given in support of each thesis. We conclude that any society free of social disgust would be more just, reasonable and compassionate.

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  • Kelly, Daniel & Morar, Nicolae, 2014. "Against the Yuck Factor: On the Ideal Role of Disgust in Society," Utilitas, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(2), pages 153-177, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:utilit:v:26:y:2014:i:02:p:153-177_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Pies, Ingo, 2020. "Das Moralparadoxon der Moderne: Ordonomische Überlegungen zur modernen Ethik als Ethik der Moderne," Discussion Papers 2020-01, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Chair of Economic Ethics.
    2. Thiele, Leslie Paul, 2019. "The decline of yuck: Moral judgment in the anthropocene," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).

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