Verplaetse / De Schrijver / Vanneste The Moral Brain

Essays on the Evolutionary and Neuroscientific Aspects of Morality
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4020-6287-2
Verlag: Springer Netherlands
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 275 Seiten

Scientists no longer accept the existence of a distinct moral organ as phrenologists once did. A generation of young neurologists is using advanced technological medical equipment to unravel specific brain processes enabling moral cognition. In addition, evolutionary psychologists have formulated hypotheses about the origins and nature of our moral architecture. Little by little, the concept of a 'moral brain' is reinstated. As the crossover between disciplines focusing on moral cognition was rather limited up to now, this book aims at filling the gap. Which evolutionary biological hypotheses provide a useful framework for starting new neurological research? How can brain imaging be used to corroborate hypotheses concerning the evolutionary background of our species? In this reader, a broad range of prominent scientists and philosophers shed their expert view on the current accomplishments and future challenges in the field of moral cognition and assess how cooperation between neurology and evolutionary psychology can boost research into the field of the moral brain.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Verplaetse, Jan

De Schrijver, Jelle

Vanneste, Sven

Braeckman, Johan

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;5
2;Contributors;7
3;Introduction;9
3.1; Science at the Edge of Science Fiction;9
3.2; The Moral Brain: A New Climate A New Technique;10
3.3; The Breakthroughs;16
3.3.1; There is No Moral Center;17
3.3.2; Each Moral Task Has Its Own Neural Network;20
3.3.3; Engineering the Moral Brain;23
3.3.4; The Immoral Brain;25
3.4; Prospects and Limits;27
3.5; Morality and Evolution;29
3.5.1; Indirect Reciprocity and Strong Reciprocity;34
3.6; Towards a Deep History of Human Morality;36
3.6.1; A Misleading Analogy?;37
3.7; The Importance of Brain Imaging;39
3.8; Plan of the Book;42
3.9; Conclusion;47
3.10;References;48
4;The Immoral Brain;52
4.1; The Evolution of Moral Behavior;52
4.2; The Prisoners Dilemma Model of Social Interactions;53
4.3; The Neurobiology of Morality and Social Emotions;54
4.4; The Evolution of Immoral Behavior;57
4.5; The Neurobiology of Immoral / Antisocial Behavior;59
4.6; Neurobiology of Psychopathy in the Prisoners Dilemma;64
4.7; The Neurobiology of Deception;65
4.8; Cheater Detection;66
4.9; Neuroethics;67
4.10; Summary;68
4.11;References;69
5;Extended Attachment and the Human Brain: Internalized Cultural Values and Evolutionary Implications;75
5.1; Attachment Operationally Defined;75
5.2; Scope and Aims;77
5.3; Culture, Extended Attachment and the Human Brain;78
5.4; The Neural Basis of Social Attachment and Aversion;79
5.5; Evolutionary Implications;82
5.6; Prospects and Final Remarks;85
5.7;References;88
6;Neuro-Cognitive Systems Involved in Moral Reasoning;92
6.1; The Development of Morality;92
6.2; Morality as a Unitary System;92
6.3; Multiple Moralities;94
6.3.1; The Development of Care-Based Morality;96
6.3.2; Reciprocity;99
6.3.3; Disgust-Based Morality;100
6.3.4; Social Convention;100
6.4; Theory of Mind and Morality;102
6.5; Theory of Mind and Social Convention;103
6.6; Summary;104
7;Empathy and Morality: Integrating Social and Neuroscience Approaches;113
7.1; Evolutionary Origins of Empathy;115
7.2; Shared Neural Circuits Between Self and Other;118
7.3; Perspective-Taking, Self-Other Awareness, and Empathy;120
7.4; Modulation of Empathic Responding;123
7.5; Empathy and Morality;126
7.6; Conclusion;127
7.7;References;128
8;Moral Judgment and the Brain: A Functional Approach to the Question of Emotion and Cognition in Moral Judgment Integrating Psychology, Neuroscience and Evolutionary Biology;132
8.1; Two Competing Psychological Models on Moral Judgment Moral Reasoning from a Cognitive-Developmental Perspective;133
8.1.1; The Role of Emotions and Intuitive Feelings in Moral Judgment;134
8.2; The Neuroscientific Study of Moral Judgment;136
8.2.1; Lesion Studies Provide First Evidence for a Neurobiological Basis of Morality;136
8.2.2; Some Methodological Considerations on Imaging Brain Activity;138
8.2.3; A Distributed Functional Network of Brain Regions Activated During Moral Judgment;140
8.3; Neuroimaging Studies with a Focus on Emotion and Cognition in Moral Judgment;143
8.3.1; Evidence for Competing Emotional and Cognitive Subsystems During Dilemmatic Moral Judgments;143
8.3.2; The Influence of Bodily Harm on Neural Correlates of Moral Decision Making;144
8.4; The Influence of Individual Differences in Moral Judgment Competence on Neural Correlates of Moral Judgment;145
8.5; A Functional Approach to Moral Judgment Integrating Psychological Models, Neuroscientific Results, and Evolutionary Biology;149
8.6;References;153
9;Moral Dysfunction: Theoretical Model and Potential Neurosurgical Treatments;158
9.1; Introduction;158
9.2; The Moral Brain;160
9.2.1; The Moral Brain Circuit;161
9.2.2; Reward System and Morality;162
9.2.3; Dysfunctional Moral Brain;164
9.2.3.1; Antisocial Personality Disorders (APD)/Psychopathy;164
9.2.3.2; Pedophilia;167
9.3; Developing Neurosurgical Treatments for Moral Dysfunctions;169
9.3.1; Pedophilia;171
9.3.1.1; Electrical Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens;172
9.3.1.2; Electrical Stimulation of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex;172
9.3.1.3; Electrical Stimulation of the Amygdala;173
9.3.1.4; Electrical Stimulation of the OFC;174
9.3.1.5; Electrical Stimulation of the DLPFC;175
9.3.2; Psychopathy/Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD);176
9.3.3; What Surgical Treatment to Chose in Individual Cases ?;177
9.4; Ethical Implications of Neurosurgical Interventions for Moral Dysfunction;178
9.5;References;180
10;Does It Pay to be Good? Competing Evolutionary Explanations of Pro-Social Behaviour;187
10.1; Brain, Behaviour, Evolution;187
10.2; What Moral Behaviour?;188
10.2.1; Altruism;188
10.3; Box 1 Other-Regarding Utility Functions;188
10.3.1; Reciprocity, Indirect Reciprocity, Altruistic Punishment and Third Party Punishment;192
10.4; Different Types of Models;193
10.4.1; Kin Selection;193
10.4.2; Natural Selection at the Individual Level;194
10.4.3; Group Selection;195
10.4.4; Sexual Selection;198
10.5; Which One Is Right?;198
10.5.1; Verbal Versus Formal;199
10.5.2; Brain Scanning: Proximate and Ultimate Causes;200
10.5.3;References;201
11;How Can Evolution and Neuroscience Help Us Understand Moral Capacities?;203
11.1; Evolution;205
11.2; Evolution and Pathology;207
11.3; Neuroscience;208
11.4; Conclusion;209
11.5;References;210
12;Runaway Social Selection for Displays of Partner Value and Altruism;212
12.1; Social Selection;213
12.2; Social Selection in Nature;215
12.3; Domestication;216
12.4; Social Selection for Cooperation;217
12.5; Social Selection for Prosocial Traits in Humans;220
12.6; Models;222
12.7; The Invisible Hand;224
12.8; Caveats and Conclusions;225
12.9;References;227
13;The Evolved Brain: Understanding Religious Ethics and Religious Violence;233
13.1; Introduction;233
13.2; Evolutionary Models for Morality;236
13.3; Evolutionary Psychology and Moral Religions;238
13.4; The Evolutionary Bases of Religious Ethics/Religious Violence;241
13.5; The Evolutionary Logic of Religious Violence;245
13.6; Conclusion;250
13.7;References;253
14;An Evolutionary and Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective on Moral Modularity;255
14.1; Introduction;255
14.2; Evolutionary Psychology;257
14.2.1; Modularity Hypothesis;257
14.2.2; Moral Modularity;258
14.3; Cognitive Neuroscience;260
14.3.1; The Role of Reasoning Processes in Some Forms of Moral Judgment;261
14.3.2; Focus on Learning Processes;262
14.3.3; Neural Modularity;263
14.4; Massive Moral Modularity: Confronting EP and CN;263
14.4.1; Learning;264
14.4.2; Higher Cognition;266
14.4.3; Neural Modularity?;266
14.5; Conclusion;267
14.6;References;268
15;Index;271