Intuition and Emotions in Moral Reasoning
Intuition and Emotions in Moral Reasoning
Introduction to Moral Reasoning
Moral Reasoning: The cognitive process of thinking about right and wrong, as well as acquiring and applying moral rules.
Example expression: "I don’t know, I can’t explain it, I just know it is wrong" reflects the intuitive aspect of moral judgment.
Case Study: Julie and Mark
Scenario: Two siblings traveling in France decide to make love while staying alone in a cabin as a new experience.
Consideration: Was their action morally acceptable? Opens discussion on moral implications and acceptance.
Philosophical Reference: Plato (428/427 BCE-348/347 BCE) characterized the tension between reason and passions, suggesting that reason should dominate.
Philosophical Perspectives on Reason and Passion
David Hume (1711-1776): Advocated that passions should take precedence over reason, stating that reason is merely a servant to passion.
Quote: "Reason is and ought only to be the slave of the passions and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them."
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826): Proposed a balanced model of moral judgment involving both emotion (heart) and reasoning (head).
Key Concepts:
Dual-process model of moral judgment: Involves both deontological (right action) and utilitarian (best results) perspectives.
Identifies tension between reason and passions.
Role of Emotions in Rational Thought
Antonio Damasio (1944-): Emphasizes that emotions are necessary to engage in rational thought.
Function of vmPFC (ventromedial prefrontal cortex): Integrates gut feelings into conscious deliberation.
Research Findings: Studies on individuals with brain damage in the vmPFC support Hume's claims, demonstrating the critical link between affect and cognitive processes.
Common Myth: Thinking (cognition) and feeling (emotion) are unrelated.
Reality: They are inextricably linked, influencing judgments and decision-making.
Threat Perception and Bodily Response
Physiological Reaction: Upon perceiving a threat, humans typically exhibit three responses:
Flight: Escape from threat.
Fight: Confront the threat.
Freeze: Inaction in face of threat.
The Social Intuitionist Model by Jonathan Haidt
Define moral judgment as a cognitive process involving reasoning and intuition
The Rider and the Elephant Analogy:
The Rider: Represents rational reasoning.
The Elephant: Represents intuition, indicating that intuitive responses drive and can overpower reasoning.
Structured Process of Judgment:
A triggering event occurs (e.g., someone kicks a dog in the street).
Intuition arises leading to immediate moral judgment.
Post hoc reasoning occurs to justify the initial judgment.
Social persuasion and reasoned judgment may follow.
Order of Processing: Intuitions lead reasoning; moral judgments are often pre-emptively established by gut feeling.
Interactive Activity: Moral Judgment Reflection
Think-Pair-Share Activity: Reflect on situations where one quickly passed judgment but later revised that opinion. Discuss with peers to explore reasons behind the change in judgment.
Mechanisms of Intuition
Somatic Marker Hypothesis (Damasio, 1994): Suggests that physical responses associated with emotions guide decisions and judgments.
Affect as Information Hypothesis: Indicates that people rely on emotional cues and moods for decision-making.
Artificial Manipulation of Emotions: Demonstrates that moral decisions can be directly influenced by emotional states.
Inherent Nature of Morality: Moral intuitions are both innate and shaped by cultural influences. Intuitions surface suddenly and adapt to culture rather than being learned gradually.
Social Intuitionist Model: Postulates that reasoning serves to justify rather than create moral judgments.
Development of Intuition and Moral Learning
Selective Loss of Intuitions: Unused moral intuitions diminish, similar to language acquisition theories.
Cultural Emphasis on Ethics: Different cultures promote distinct moral ethics, including:
Autonomy: Individual rights and freedom.
Community: Loyalty, duty, respect.
Divinity: Purity and spirituality.
Plasticity of Moral Learning: Brain development and moral understanding peak in late childhood.
Immersion in Cultural Practices
Learning through Daily Experience: Cultural values are embedded through rituals rather than formal education (e.g., Indian children learning purity rules).
Implicit Learning: Moral beliefs feel instinctive due to this integrated cultural immersion.
Peer Socialization in Moral Development
Moral Values Formation: Peer influence plays a significant role in evolving moral values, especially in the sensitive developmental period of ages 9-15.
Late Exposure to Morality: Engagement in moral discussions post adolescence tends to yield superficial understanding.
Integrating Rationalism and Intuitionism in Moral Judgment
Rationalism vs. Social Intuitionist Model: Highlights the complex interplay between reasoning, intuition, and social influences.
Limitations of Teaching Moral Reasoning: Emphasizes the necessity of cultural frameworks for effective moral judgment.
Strategies for Improving Moral Judgment:
Engage with diverse perspectives and individuals possessing wisdom.
Foster critical thinking through exposure to multiple viewpoints.
Overview of Behaviorism and Psycho-Affective Theory
Core Principle of Behaviorism: Focus on observable behavior rather than subjective internal states, asserting behavior as result of previous experiences.
Takeaway: The brain evaluates actions as threats or benefits, prompting either approach or avoidance behaviors.
Wilhelm Wundt's Contributions: Established the first psychological research laboratory, emphasizing affective primacy.
Affective Primacy: Quick emotional responses guide initial attraction or aversion to stimuli.
Zajonc and Affective Processes
Reviving Affective Primacy: Robert Zajonc's experiments showed people's preferences for stimuli increase with mere exposure.
Mere Exposure Effect: Familiarity increases liking.
Relation Between Affect and Judgment: Social judgments are particularly shaped by intuitive feelings rather than rational analysis.
Exploring Affective Priming and Judgment
Mechanism of Affective Priming:
Initial emotional response influences subsequent evaluations (e.g., flower=happiness, hate=sunshine).
Implicit Association Test (IAT): Evaluates attitudes and beliefs that individuals may be unaware of.
Indicates the significance of intuitive responses in moral evaluations.
The Impact of Body Information on Morality
Derived Experiments: Studies show that bodily sensations (e.g., smell) influence moral judgments.
Examples include research links between morality and cleanliness (e.g., hand washing).
Understanding Psychopathy and Moral Intuition
Characteristics of Psychopaths:
Represent approximately 1 in 100 men; few women.
Often responsible for severe crimes yet show no moral emotions like empathy or guilt.
Their reasoning lacks a moral framework, being devoid of emotional attachments.
Moral Intuition in Infancy
Comparison Between Psychopaths and Infants: Both exhibit fundamental differences in moral intuition and reasoning development.
Babies: possess moral intuitions earlier than reasoning abilities, suggesting innate moral foundations.
Brain Study on Gut Reactions vs. Rational Judgment
Research by Greene (2001): Used fMRI to illustrate brain engagement in moral dilemmas that activate emotional responses.
Strongest emotional reactions corresponded to moral judgments made in hypothetical harm scenarios.
Conclusion on the Interplay of Emotion and Cognition
Cognition Beyond Consciousness: Most cognitive processes operate outside of conscious thought.
Brain Functionality: Describes a connectionist approach that evaluates complex situations rapidly.
Emotional Reliability: Challenges the notion that rationality is superior to emotional intuition in moral decision-making.
Studies on Emotional Influence in Judgments
Research by Ask & Pina (2011): Links emotions (angry, sad, neutral) to perceptions of criminal intent, emphasizing how emotional states alter moral evaluations.
Moral Dumbfounding: Investigated by Guglielmo (2017), showcasing the inherent disconnection between intuitive moral judgments and articulated reasoning, particularly in cases of incest and cannibalism. This highlights the impact of disgust on moral reasoning.