An Introduction to Moral Psychology: Basic Concepts, Theoretical Approaches, and Debates

Abstract

This article aims to provide a brief introduction to moral psychology, which is frequently studied in different subfields of the cognitive sciences today. For this purpose, first, a description of the field of moral psychology and the cognitive and evolutionary origins of morality will be presented. Then, the current theoretical discussions in the field will be summarized. In general, the article will adopt the interactionist paradigm, claiming that at least some of the moral judgments stem from biological predispositions, and environmental factors shape this biological draft. The empirical evidence from different disciplines will be summarized, and the strengths/weaknesses of this claim will be described. As a result, crucial points that should be focused on in future research will be attempted to be clarified by critically evaluating the current status of moral psychology.