The Fundamental Attribution Error and Harman's Case against Character Traits |
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Authors: | Steve Clarke |
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Institution: | Program on the Ethics of the New Biosciences, James Martin 21st Century School, University of Oxford and Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University and the Australian National University E-mail: Stephen.Clarke@philosophy.ox.ac.uk |
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Abstract: | AbstractGilbert Harman argues that the warrant for the lay attribution of character traits is completely undermined by the “fundamental attribution error” (FAE). He takes it to have been established by social psychologists, that the FAE pervades ordinary instances of lay person perception. However, examination of recent work in psychology reveals that there are good reasons to doubt that the effects observed in experimental settings, which ground the case for the FAE, pervade ordinary instances of person perception. Furthermore, it is possible to make sense of these experimental results without invoking the FAE. Harman's argument against lay character trait attribution is unsubstantiated. |
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