The Ethical Implications of Cancel Culture and The Philosophy of Personalism

Jeremiah Rosenbrook, David Weeks       

One of the most divisive phenomena in our modern culture is the occurrence of cancel culture. By tracing the problem of cancel culture back to its origin and identifying two major ethical implications that it causes, we suggest alternatives to ostracizing individuals based on their opinions or perspectives. Our research proposes constructive responses based on the techniques of personalist philosophy and rationalism. We identify these two main techniques as revision culture and unconditional positive regard, by leveraging logic, reason, and empathy in an attempt to lessen the contentiousness. Jeremiah Rosenbrook is a senior psychology major from Athens, Tennessee. He has a double minor in philosophy and history. He has been a member of the men’s rugby team during his four years at Lander. This is his first semester being part of Dr. Moore’s research team. He plans on pursuing his doctorate in social psychology after completing his undergrad.

• David Weeks is a senior psychology major from Greenwood, South Carolina. He has a minor in philosophy, cycles to school daily, and plans on pursuing clinical psychology after completing his bachelor’s at Lander.