Verified by Psychology Today

Lisa Tessman Ph.D.

About

Lisa Tessman, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Binghamton University in New York. She has published in ethics, feminist philosophy, and related areas. She has a book coming out in June 2017 called When Doing the Right Thing Is Impossible, which is written for a general audience. The book focuses on those terrible situations in which no matter what you do, you’ll commit some moral wrongdoing. Her previous books include: Moral Failure: On the Impossible Demands of Morality (2015) and Burdened Virtues: Virtue Ethics for Liberatory Struggles (2005).

Tessman’s work focuses on understanding how morality is shaped and how real people experience morality, especially under difficult conditions. She draws on both philosophical ethics—which asks questions about what is morally right and wrong as well as questions about what morality is—and empirical moral psychology—which studies how people actually make moral decisions and how they experience the demands of morality.

Books by Lisa Tessman Ph.D.
Recent Posts
When It All Goes Awry
When progressives do all they can to protest and change the policies they oppose, but do not succeed, have they really failed?
Are You Self-Sacrificing?

Self-sacrifice doesn’t always involve sacrificing your own individual self. We also self-sacrifice when we give up what matters the most to us—which might not be our own self.

Self-sacrifice doesn’t always involve sacrificing your own individual self. We also self-sacrifice when we give up what matters the most to us—which might not be our own self.

Quiz: Can You Avoid Wrongdoing?

Quizzes on moral decision making seem to offer choices between right and wrong. But what if the choices are really between wrong and wrong?

Quizzes on moral decision making seem to offer choices between right and wrong. But what if the choices are really between wrong and wrong?

There Are Choices No One Should Ever Have to Face

The American Health Care Act might seem attractive because it would offer people choices. But it would actually force some people to choose between two unthinkable options.

The American Health Care Act might seem attractive because it would offer people choices. But it would actually force some people to choose between two unthinkable options.

What Do You Think You Ought to Think You Ought to Do?

If there’s something that you think you ought to do, you can still question whether you think that you ought to think that you ought to do it.

If there’s something that you think you ought to do, you can still question whether you think that you ought to think that you ought to do it.

I Did the Best Thing I Could. So Why Do I Feel Bad?

Moral values come in many different kinds, and they can come into conflict with each other, sometimes creating situations in which anything we do will involve violating some value.

Moral values come in many different kinds, and they can come into conflict with each other, sometimes creating situations in which anything we do will involve violating some value.