WIPS - Katie Rapier, Washington University in St. Louis

Borderline personality disorder is a chronic and pervasive condition that affects one's sense of self as well as social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. While individuals who are actively experiencing symptoms should (arguably) be excused or exempt from moral responsibility, those who have recovered from borderline present a more complex case. I claim that individuals who have recovered from borderline and act morally should be considered moral superheroes. Moral superheroes act morally at the same rate (or better) than typical moral agents despite morally-relevant impairments. I argue that moral superheroes do not fit into our standard normative theories – specifically, Kantian ethics and virtue theory. Current normative theories do not acknowledge the mental effort moral superheroes expend daily in order to function as productive members of the moral community. I suggest that the road forward is difficult but not impossible. The moral superheroes account cannot be subsumed into current normative theories but it can be added and normative theories should try to find suitable modifications to incorporate mental differences.