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 Publishers / Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 282 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-78661-538-1 • Hardback • November 2021 • $125.00 • (£96.00)

978-1-78661-539-8 • eBook • November 2021 • $45.00 • (£35.00) (coming soon)

Series: Moral Psychology of the Emotions

Subjects: Psychology / Emotions, Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, 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 Publishers / Rowman & Littlefield International

Pages: 282 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-78661-538-1 • Hardback • November 2021 • $125.00 • (£96.00)

978-1-78661-539-8 • eBook • November 2021 • $45.00 • (£35.00) (coming soon)

Series: Moral Psychology of the Emotions

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

Author

Andreas Elpidorou is 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 (2020).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

The Moral Significance of Boredom: An Introduction
Andreas Elpidorou
1. From Electric Shocks to the Electoral College: How Boredom Steers Moral Behavior
Meltem Yucel and Erin C. Westgate
1. The Existential Sting of Boredom: Implications for Moral Judgments and Behavior
Eric R. Igou and Wijnand A. P. van Tilburg
1. Boredom and the Lost Self
Shane W. Bench, Heather C. Lench, Yidou Wan, Kaitlyn Kaiser, and Kenneth A. Perez
1. “Rage Spread Thin”: Boredom and Aggression
James Danckert
1. Losing and Finding Agency: The Crisis of Boredom
John D. Eastwood and Dana Gorelik
1. Boredom Mismanagement and Attributions of Social and Moral Costs
McWelling Todman
1. Boredom and Poverty: A Theoretical Model
Andreas Elpidorou
1. The Epistemic Benefits of Irrational Boredom
Lisa Bortolotti and Matilde Aliffi
1. Boredom as Cognitive Appetite
Vida Yao
1. Boredom, Interest, and Meaning in Life
Wendell O'Brien
1. Parallels to Boredom in Non-human Animals
Rebecca K. Meagher and Jesse Robbins
1. The Long Hard Road Out of Boredom
Josefa Ros Velasco

Index

About the Contributors

The Moral Psychology of Boredom

Edited by Andreas Elpidorou

The Moral Psychology of Boredom

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