Individuals with mental illness are often excluded from discussions of virtue, responsibility, and obligation in normative ethics. By precluding these populations we miss out on valuable insights into the nature of morality and moral functioning. The majority of my research advances this thesis but I also have interests in biomedical ethics and philosophy of religion.

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Publications

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• Harster, K. (2022). "Symptoms of Trauma, Kantian Natural Powers, and the Duty to Seek Treatment." Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology 29(3), 147-157. doi: 10.1353/ppp.2022.0031

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• Harster, K. (2021). Borderline Personality Disorder and the Boundaries of Virtue. Neuroethics 14, 479-490. doi: 10.1007/s12152-021-09467-7

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• Harster, K. (2022). "Distressed but Not Helpless: Reply to Woody and Wharne." Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology 29(3), 165-168.doi: 10.1353/ppp.2022.0031

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• Cameron, C. D., & Rapier, K.* (2017) "Compassion is Motivated Choice." In W. Sinnott-Armstrong & C. Miller (Eds.), Moral Psychology, Volume 5: Virtue and Character (pp. 373-408). Cambridge: MIT Press.

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• Cameron, C. D., & Rapier, K.* (2017) "Response to Montgomery, Kappes, & Crockett and Goodman." In W. Sinnott-Armstrong & C. Miller (Eds.), Moral Psychology, Volume 5: Virtue and Character (pp. 427-438). Cambridge: MIT Press.

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Areas of Interest

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    Borderline Personality Disorder

My research on borderline separates individuals who meet full criteria for the disorder, individuals with symptoms, and individuals in recovery. While I discuss excusing and exempting conditions for individuals in the first two categories, I propose a new designation for individuals in recovery: moral superheroes. These individuals go above and beyond the actions of typical moral agents to offer meaningful contributions to the moral community.

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Publications

• (2021). Borderline Personality Disorder and the Boundaries of Virtue. Neuroethics. doi: 10.1007/s12152-021-09467-7

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Sample Presentations

• "Borderline Personality Disorder: The Moral Superheroes Normative Ethics Needs." Philosophy Department Colloquium Series, October 2018 (References)

  • Workshop in Politics, Ethics, and Society, Washington University in St. Louis, September 2018

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    Trauma

I am interested in the relationship between trauma and moral functioning. How does trauma affect our capacities as moral agents? What duties do those impacted by trauma have restore these capacities? My current work approaches these questions from a Kantian perspective.

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Publications

• (Accepted). Symptoms of Trauma, Kantian Natural Powers, and the Duty to Seek Treatment. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology.

• (Accepted). Distressed but not Helpless: Reply to Woody and Wharne. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology.

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Presentations

• "Symptoms of Trauma, Kantian Natural Powers, and the Duty to Seek Treatment." Psychology and the Other. Boston College, September 2021.

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    Compassion

My research in compassion ranges from psychopaths to parochialism, autism to altruism, and inspired most of my dissertation. While many find the idea that compassion (or empathy) is conducive to morality, contemporary philosophers and psychologists (e.g. Bloom, Harris) have introduced compelling evidence to the contrary. In my essays with Daryl Cameron we seek to address these concerns. 

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Publications:

• Cameron, C. D., & Rapier, K.* (2017) "Compassion is Motivated Choice." In W. Sinnott-Armstrong & C. Miller (Eds.), Moral Psychology, Volume 5: Virtue and Character (pp. 373-408). Cambridge: MIT Press. (preview; MIT Press)

• Cameron, C. D., & Rapier, K.* (2017) "Response to Montgomery, Kappes, & Crockett and Goodman." In W. Sinnott-Armstrong & C. Miller (Eds.), Moral Psychology, Volume 5: Virtue and Character (pp. 427-438). Cambridge: MIT Press.

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Sample Presentations:

• "'How did you feel the last time you squashed a bug?' Empathy, Moral Responsibility, and Psychopathy."

  • ​International Society for Research on Emotions, St. Louis MO, July 2017

  • 3rd Global Meeting of the Empathy Project, Mansfield College, Oxford, July 2016.

• "Compassion, Moral Responsibility, and the High-Functioning Psychopath." Society for Philosophy and Psychology Annual Meeting, University of Texas at Austin, June 2016.

• "A Tale of Two Empathies: Lessons in Morality from Clinical Populations." Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, University of Colorado Boulder, August 2015.

   

     Substance Use Disorder

My research on substance use disorder (addiction) was inspired by observing adolescent support groups and a treatment facility. I argue that individuals with substance use disorder are exempt from moral responsibility due to deficits in emotion regulation. 

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Presentations

• "'Checking Out' of Moral Responsibility: Impairment in Emotion Regulation and Substance Use Disorder." Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Annual Meeting, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, July 2018

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Works in Progress

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• Sloth and Laziness (Philosophy of Religion)

• ASD and Agency (Biomedical Ethics)

• Research in Virtue Ethics Education (interdisciplinary collaboration)

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Dissertation Abstract

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My dissertation, Moral Pathology, explores the relationship between morality and mental illness. I focus on four conditions: psychopathy, substance use disorder (addiction), autism spectrum disorder, and borderline personality disorder.These conditions are often characterized by deficits in emotional functioning. I argue that these emotional deficits excuse or exempt individuals with these conditions from moral responsibility. Moreover, these conditions accentuate the role of emotions in morality.

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*The compassion publications and many presentations were conducted under my former name, Katie Rapier

 

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