Our Brains are Wired for Morality: Evolution, Development, and Neuroscience

Abstract

Psychological and neuroscience research both tell us that morality, our mental ability to tell right from wrong in our behaviors and the behaviors of others, is a product of evolution. Morality has been passed on through the course of evolution because it helps us to live in large social groups by enhancing our ability to get along and interact with others. “Building blocks” of morality, such as sensing fairness, experiencing empathy, and judging others’ harmful and helpful actions, can be observed in infancy, before a child’s social environment would be able to have a strong influence. Specific parts of the human brain are involved in moral reasoning – both the kind that happens very quickly and the kind that is thought out. Damage to certain parts of the brain can dramatically alter moral judgment and behavior. Although human morality has been passed down through evolution, it is also dependent on the culture in which we grow up. What humans consider to be moral behavior varies from culture to culture and also varies across time. Our Brains Are Wired for Morality: Evolution, Development, and Neuroscience. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298040477_Our_Brains_Are_Wired_for_Morality_Evolution_Development_and_Neuroscience [accessed Mar 14, 2016].