Emotion And Moral Judgment Essay

In the past there has been much dispute between philosophers and psychologists who emphasized the part of reason and thought in moral judgment (e.g. Kant, 1785/2002), and those who assert that moral judgments are motivated by emotional progressions (e.g. Hume, 1888/2012). These contrasting founding principles are still evident in modern day approaches of psychological research on moral judgment and emotional dilemmas, with assertions still being made that moral codes provide rational rules for behaviour. However, in recent studies, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the role of emotion is playing a very important role in moral judgment about the action of others, and also in motivating people to adhere to moral codes. This research is developing further ethical discussions about moral responsibilities to ourselves as well as others in society in respect to emotion and feeling, for example people are less likely to do something that one may find emotionally disgusting in public. when it comes to moral conviction and decision-making, most people feel that other individuals should collectively agree with and support their own moral ways of thinking and feeling (Skitka et al., 2005). They believe others would be more easily convinced to agree with their personal beliefs if they knew the details of what is emotionally …show more content…
Disgusting actions have been considered morally wrong based on cultural upbringing; what one culture may consider repulsive, another may not and thus not be judged as a moral wrongdoing. If we look at the rapid changes in the public’s opinion on gay marriage union in the United States, for instance, supporting the act went from 65% opposing the action to well over 50% approving it in a span of a decade (Pew,