The Science of Morality

Fall 2024

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Haidt Talk
3. Pinker Article
4. Singer Article
5. For Thursday…

Introduction

Moral philosophy: Contemplates what we ought to do in particular situations, and evaluates the “rightness” and “wrongness” of a given action / set of actions.

Moral psychology: Studies how people form moral judgements, and how they actually behave in particular sets of circumstances in the “real world.”

What we ought to do (morally) versus what we actually do.

Nature: “The initial organization of the brain does not rely that much on experience. Nature provides a first draft, which experience then revises... 'Built-in' does not mean unmalleable; it means organized in advance of experience.”

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– Marcus (a Brain Scientist), 2004, via Haidt

Nature: We come pre-programmed at birth, making it really easy to learn some things and really hard to learn others (Haidt)

Nurture / Culture: “At the very least, the science tells us that even when our adversaries’ agenda is most baffling, they may not be amoral psychopaths but in the throes of a moral mind-set that appears to them to be every bit as mandatory and universal as ours does to us.” (Pinker)

Jonathan Haidt

• A social psychologist – NYU Stern
• Studies the psychology of morality and moral emotions
• Identifies as a “Political centrist”
• Researches the evolutionary origins of human moral reasoning (argues it’s more about innate, gut feelings than logic / reason)
• Interests: bridging the political divide
• Popular author

Source: Wikipedia

Haidt (2008)

Haidt argues that there are 5 universal moral �dimensions that we’re born with. And that �the weights given to #3, #4, and #5 differ most �between liberals & conservatives:

1. Harm / care
2. Fairness / reciprocity
3. In-group / loyalty
4. Authority / respect
5. Purity / sanctity

Do you think that all debates can be distilled down to differences in how these moral spheres are weighted? Try applying this theory to a moral debate. Does it work? Does it help you to better understand a different perspective?

Let’s make sure we understand these…

• Harm / care - throwing a rock is bad. Care duty to family.
• Fairness / reciprocity – Golden rule. Pay equity. Not chippin in for gas.
• In-group / loyalty – Political parties, religion, race, gender, class, nationalism
• Authority / respect – flag != cleaning, “traditional value.” Traditional roles.
• Purity / sanctity –

Identity Journal #2

Share out?

• Anyone want to share a debate they picked and how they were thinking about it?
• Lots that it leaves out

Moral Matrix (Haidt)

1. What were some of the most memorable moments of the video?
2. Anything you particularly agreed with / disagreed with?
3. Consider Haidt’s assertion that:��“Our Righteous Minds were designed to unite us into teams, divide us against other teams, and blind us to the truth.”

Why is Haidt telling us this? Why is important for us to know this about ourselves?

Steven Pinker

• Cognitive psychologist and psycholinguist (Harvard)
• Identifies as a political liberal
• Popular author

Source: Wikipedia

Pinker Discussion Questions (1/4)

• What is the difference between “moral reasoning” and “moral rationalization”?
• What is the difference between moral judgement versus other kinds of judgements?
• What is “moralization”?
• What are examples of things that were not previously moralized that now are?
• What are examples of things that used to be moralized that no longer are?
• What is the law of conservation of moralization?

Pinker Discussion Questions (2/4)

• What is the “shudder test”? What are the strengths and weaknesses of listening to one’s “shudder response”?
• What is utilitarianism?
• What is Pinker’s critique of utilitarianism?
• What are some examples that Pinker gives where utilitarianism just doesn’t make sense to our “moral instincts”?

Pinker Discussion Questions (3/4)

How does Pinker respond to Leon Kass’s Quote (Below)?

In his influential essay “The Wisdom of Repugnance,” Leon Kass, former chair of the President’s Council on Bioethics, argued that we should disregard reason when it comes to cloning and other biomedical technologies and go with our gut: “We are repelled by the prospect of cloning human beings . . . because we intuit and feel, immediately and without argument, the violation of things that we rightfully hold dear. . . . In this age in which everything is held to be permissible so long as it is freely done . . . repugnance may be the only voice left that speaks� up to defend the central core of our humanity. Shallow are the �souls that have forgotten how to shudder.”

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Pinker Discussion Questions (4/4)

“Much of our recent social history, including the culture wars between liberals and conservatives, consists of the moralization or amoralization of particular kinds of behavior.”

• Can you think of some examples (named and not named by Pinker) of moralization / amoralization of certain behaviors?
• Are these distinctions coherent / logically consistent?

Pinker Reflections...

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Peter Singer

• Australian Moral Philosopher
• Formerly a professor of Bioethics at Princeton
• Wrote many influential books on animal liberation and the moral imperative help the poor around the world
• Takes a Utilitarian (Consequentialist) perspective

Source: Wikipedia

Singer (1 of 3)

• Explain the premise of the Brazilian movie “Central Station” and how the main character might be judged by her actions.
• Is the comparison he makes to the average U.S. family a fair comparison? Why or why not?

Singer (2 of 3)

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The runaway train, the Bugatti, and world poverty.

• In your view, what were the strengths and weaknesses of Singer’s comparison between Bob-and-the-Bugatti and donating to charity?
• What are some of the reasons commonly given – according to Singer – as to why people don’t give more to charity?

Singer (3 of 3)

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Discuss:

“When Bob first grasped the dilemma that faced him as he stood by that railway switch, he must have thought how extraordinarily unlucky he was to be placed in a situation in which he must choose between the life of an innocent child and the sacrifice of most of his savings. But he was not unlucky at all. We are all in that situation.”

Singer (Consequentialist / Utilitarian)

Strengths???

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Weaknesses???

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Other Reflections (Singer)?

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Summary & Wrap-Up (1/2)

Haidt & Pinker helped us think about what kinds of moral practices that humans actually engage in, namely:

• There is a “science” of morality – with some universal moral ideas that are arguably “instinctive” (i.e. we’re born with them).
• These foundational ideas are then shaped by culture, experience, social position, religion, and so forth
• We’re all operating according to a “moral mindset” – even if�those mindsets lead to very different conclusions.

Summary & Wrap-Up (2/2)

Singer – a Utilitarian – introduces us to one (of many) ways that philosophers think about how we ought to act. Singer is a “Consequentialist” (Utilitarian): which means that we ought to be judged by the consequences of our actions (versus intent, context, or circumstance).

• Moral frameworks tend to argue from logic (versus taking into account the emotional and biological dimensions of human existence).
• All these dimensions give us insight into how and why �the world looks as it does.

But how do we think about what we should do?

For Thursday: Moral philosophy can help us decide. Sandel: Examines various philosophical traditions, and specifically 3 ideas:

Welfare�The wellbeing of a person or group; tends to be used interchangeably with the economic aspects of welfare, but the term is much broader

Freedom�The ability to exercise one’s free will.

Virtue�Refers to certain qualities that are intrinsically “good”

Readings for Thursday + Discussion Forum

You will be reading two chapters from Justice: What’s the right thing to do – Sandel (2009)?

Everyone will read the first chapter:

• Chapter 1. Doing the Right Thing. Justice: What's the right thing to do?

Pick one:

• Chapter 2. Utilitarianism (Consequentialism)
• Chapter 3. Libertarianism
• Chapter 5. Kant (Deontological Ethics)

Answer the questions in the discussion forum and respond to�at least 2 of your classmates posts.