Dr Luca Barlassina, University of Sheffield: Not for me: On the external function of guilt (joint work with Shaun Nichols)

Event details

The function of a trait is typically conceived of in terms of the benefits the trait confers to its owner. For example, the function of zebra stripes is whatever stripes do to advantage zebras. In the case of guilt, however, this leads to a puzzle, since while “it seems that it is good for you that others are guilt-prone, … it is less clear that being guilt-prone is good for [you]” (Deem & Ramsey 2016). Many philosophers and cognitive scientists have addressed this puzzle by trying to show that, appearances notwithstanding, guilt is indeed good for its owner, in that it attracts cooperators. In this talk, I show that this approach to the puzzle of guilt faces several problems, and I put forward an alternative solution. Some traits, I argue, have external function, that is, a type of function that has to do with the benefits the trait confers to somebody other than its owner. Guilt is one such trait. Building on the notion of external function, I develop a novel account of the function of guilt, and I show it has numerous explanatory advantages over extant ones.