The aim of this volume is to provide a broad overview of moral psychology research in many disciplines, giving expert readers insights into advances and applications of moral psychology in fields outside their own. By its nature, moral psychology is multidisciplinary - using concepts from psychology, biology, and neuroscience to explore questions that have been posed for centuries by philosophy. Moral Psychology has tremendous implications for the law and public policy as well, from the perceptions and biases of juries, to the culpability of minors and the mentally ill, to the public's views on the purpose of criminal and civil sanctions, to governments' implementations of criminal justice programs, to negotiating competing norms across cultures. For this reason, there is growing interest in moral psychology from non-scientist practitioners-including lawyers, policy professionals, and clinicians-who want to better understand the empirical foundations of questions important to their fields. Likewise, scientists who study moral behavior are interested in learning more about the philosophical, policy, and legal implications of their work.
Accordingly, this volume reviews the important questions and current research in moral psychology in a multi-disciplinary way that is accessible to the scientific community. Amongst the contributors are psychologists, neuroscientists, evolutionary biologists, anthropologists, philosophers, legal scholars, and public policy academics. This approach ensures that the volume appeals to a broad academic audience, as well as all expert-level practitioners (such as lawyers, public policymakers, and clinicians) whose work is impacted by moral psychology research.