Moral Psychology

Catalog description

In The Descent of Man (1871), Charles Darwin famously argued “I fully…subscribe to the judgment of those writers who maintain that of all the differences between man and the lower animals the moral sense or conscience is by far the most important.” In this class, we examine what may be the most distinctive feature of humanity—our pervasive capacity for moral cognition. We will consider both the evolutionary and cultural foundations of morality. Philosophers and scientists have been captivated by the human capacity for moral and ethical decision-making for hundreds of years. We will focus on the underlying mental processes the guide moral judgments and decision-making. This interdisciplinary course will include research in social, cognitive and developmental psychology, as well as social and affective neuroscience, political science, communications, and philosophy. You will read about the major theoretical debates and empirical developments in the area of moral psychology by reading classic and contemporary articles. You will share cutting edge research with your peers. You will have the chance to lead discussion on your favorite topic(s) in the field and ask questions about other topics. You will also design your own experiment on the topic and share it with your peers. By the end of this course, you will have a level of expertise necessary to conduct research in the field.