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Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2022-23


COGS 11.05 Moral Psychology

Moral psychology is the interdisciplinary study of human moral cognition. Philosophers have long theorized the nature of moral judgment from the armchair. Now psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists are investigating hypotheses about how our brains make ethical decisions in the lab. In this class, we will read, and bring together in conversation, classic and cutting edge work from philosophy, psychology, and the neurosciences on the nature of moral cognition. Topics include: Are moral judgments essentially emotional? Or is moral thought a species of reason? Can moral beliefs, by themselves, motivate us to action? Or must a background desire to do the right thing be involved? Is all human motivation, by its nature, self-interested? Or is genuine altruism possible? And should empirical findings about the neurobiological and evolutionary bases of our moral intuitions lead us, as some have argued, to reject certain philosophical moral theories – Kantianism, say – in favor of others – Utilitarianism – or not?

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