The Neuroscience of Moral Cognition and Emotion

The observation of profound changes in moral character after brain lesions in humans in the 19th century marked the beginning of modern moral neuroscience. These observations led to the notion that certain parts of our brains are necessary to enable moral beliefs, feelings, reasoning, knowledge, and behavior. This chapter summarizes recent evidence on the cognitive-anatomical components underlying moral values and sentiments which enable moral motivations. It then provides an overview of the neural basis of moral knowledge and the different accounts of moral reasoning and decision-making. The...

The observation of profound changes in moral character after brain lesions in humans in the 19th century marked the beginning of modern moral neuroscience. These observations led to the notion that certain parts of our brains are necessary to enable moral beliefs, feelings, reasoning, knowledge, and behavior. This chapter summarizes recent evidence on the cognitive-anatomical components underlying moral values and sentiments which enable moral motivations. It then provides an overview of the neural basis of moral knowledge and the different accounts of moral reasoning and decision-making. The chapter closes with future directions for moral neuroscience research.