The Moral Psychology of Boredom

Edited by Andreas Elpidorou

Whether we like it or not, boredom is a major part of human life. It permeates and affects our personal, social, practical, and moral existence. It shapes our world by demarcating the interesting and the meaningful from that which is not. And it sets us in motion insofar as its presence can give rise to a plethora of behaviors. Indeed, in its search for meaning, interest, and fulfillment, boredom straddles the line between the good and the bad, the beneficial and the harmful. In this volume, world-renowned researchers come together to explore a neglected but crucially important aspect of boredom: it’s relationship to morality. Does boredom cause individuals to commit immoral acts? Is the experience of boredom something that needs to be avoided at all costs? Does boredom make us worse people? Is it a problem or a solution? Can it be both? These and other questions are taken up and answered in the volume.

Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 282 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-78661-538-1 • Hardback • October 2021 • $120.00 • (£80.00)

978-1-78661-539-8 • eBook • October 2021 • $33.99 • (£23.95) (coming soon)

Series: Moral Psychology of the Emotions

Subjects: Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Psychology / Emotions, Philosophy / Ethics / Applied Ethics

The Moral Psychology of Boredom

Hardback

Summary

Whether we like it or not, boredom is a major part of human life. It permeates and affects our personal, social, practical, and moral existence. It shapes our world by demarcating the interesting and the meaningful from that which is not. And it sets us in motion insofar as its presence can give rise to a plethora of behaviors. Indeed, in its search for meaning, interest, and fulfillment, boredom straddles the line between the good and the bad, the beneficial and the harmful. In this volume, world-renowned researchers come together to explore a neglected but crucially important aspect of boredom: it’s relationship to morality. Does boredom cause individuals to commit immoral acts? Is the experience of boredom something that needs to be avoided at all costs? Does boredom make us worse people? Is it a problem or a solution? Can it be both? These and other questions are taken up and answered in the volume.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 282 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-78661-538-1 • Hardback • October 2021 • $120.00 • (£80.00)

978-1-78661-539-8 • eBook • October 2021 • $33.99 • (£23.95) (coming soon)

Series: Moral Psychology of the Emotions

Subjects: Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Psychology / Emotions, Philosophy / Ethics / Applied Ethics

Author

Andreas Elpidorou is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Louisville. He specializes in the philosophical study of the mind and has published extensively on the nature of emotions (especially, boredom), consciousness, and cognition. He is the co-author of Consciousness and Physicalism: A Defense of a Research Program ( 2018) and the author of Propelled Toward the Good Life (forthcoming 2020), a book exploring how boredom, frustration, and anticipation can help us live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Boredom as Moral Emotion Andreas Elpidorou / 1. Rage Spread Thin: Boredom and aggression James Danckert / 2. From Electric Shocks to the Electoral College: How Boredom Drives Behavior Erin C. Westgate and Meltem Yucel / 3. Losing and Finding Agency: The crisis of boredom John Eastwood / 4. The Existential Sting of Boredom: Implications for Moral Judgments and Behavior Eric R. Igou and Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg / 5. Boredom and the Lost Self: Implications of trait boredom for morality Shane W. Bench, Heather C. Lench, Yidou Wan and Kenneth A. Perez / 6. Boredom Mismanagement and Attributions of Social and Moral Costs McWelling Todman / 7. The Long Hard Road Out of Boredom Josefa Ros Velasco / 8. Boredom as an Epistemic Appetite Vida Yao / 9. Varieties of Boredom and their Effects Andreas Elpidorou / 10. The Epistemic Innocence of Boredom Matilde Aliffi & Lisa Bortolotti / 11. Boredom and Meaning in Life Wendell O’Brien / 12. Parallels to Boredom in Non-human Animals Rebecca Meagher

The Moral Psychology of Boredom

Edited by Andreas Elpidorou

The Moral Psychology of Boredom

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