When we talk about morality we too often neglect to consider the relationship our moral decisions have with innate moral intuitions. While moral standards could be described as prescriptive statements regarding human behavior (how should I act?), moral intuitions could be better described as descriptive statements regarding the cause of that behavior (why did I act this way?).

There is a famous philosophical thought experiment created by Peter Singer that goes something like this; you are walking down the street and you see a small child drowning in a shallow pond. You can jump in and save the child easily, but in the process you will ruin your $500 suit. Any sane person would say it is your moral obligation to save this child…D8XDSZ2RPQNZ

This is a blog where many questions will be asked. Some will be answered. But to give you an idea of what you’re getting into, here are the basic ones that keep me up at night. What can a philosophical exploration of the research and ideas coming out of neuroscience, psychology, an evolutionary biology tell…