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The Morality of Social Movements

Heydari Fard, Sahar
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1290-642X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1623240271431722

Abstract Details

2021, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Philosophy.
Understanding a normative concept like oppression requires attention to not only its harms but also the causes of those harms. In other words, a complete understanding of such a concept requires a proper causal explanation. This causal explanation can also inform and constrain our moral response to such harms. Therefore, the conceptual explanatory framework that we use to inform our moral diagnosis and our moral response becomes significant. The first goal of this dissertation is to propose complexity theory as the proper framework for not only explaining a social phenomenon like oppression but also understanding the proper sites for social change. The second goal of this dissertation is to answer three interrelated questions about how we should respond, morally, to a chronic and complex social problem like racial or gender inequality: (1) Why do the current interventions to address these problems fail? (2) Do social movements play any unique role in addressing these problems? (3) What is our individual responsibility to participate in social movements? In response, I argue that the explanatory frameworks that we choose to understand the cause(s) of social problems can be the source of the inadequacy of our intervention. I argue that a proper social and moral intervention needs to capture the complex and dynamic nature of the social world. I also show that changing the explanatory framework allows us to see the unique role social movements play in making effective and sustainable social change possible. Finally, I conclude supporting such movements is a moral imperative.
Vanessa Carbonell, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Anthony Chemero, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Amy Lind, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Angela Potochnik, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
175 p.
Philosophy
Moral Responsibility; Social Movements; Complexity Theory; Social Explanation; Social Change

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Heydari Fard, S. (2021). The Morality of Social Movements [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1623240271431722

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Heydari Fard, Sahar. The Morality of Social Movements. 2021. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1623240271431722.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Heydari Fard, Sahar. "The Morality of Social Movements." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1623240271431722

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1623240271431722
474
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.