Perpetrator Disgust: An Enquiry into the Relationship between Body, Emotion and Morality

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Abstract

Some soldiers experience strong emotional outbursts and bodily discomfort – such as disgust, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting and crying – in the moment of committing or witnessing atrocities. This dissertation delivers a systematic examination of this complex phenomenon that I call “perpetrator disgust”. The central point of dispute is the moral significance of perpetrator disgust. Does the perpetrator’s bodily response indicate a subliminal awareness of the moral wrong of the act? I argue that perpetrator disgust can in some cases reflect a moral conflict, but warn against conflating it with a committed moral judgment.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherDet Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet
Number of pages208
Publication statusPublished - 2016

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