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Moral demands truly are externally imposed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2018

Jan-Willem van Prooijen
Jan-Willem van Prooijen*
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), 1008 BH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [email protected]://www.janwillemvanprooijen.com
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Abstract

Most moral demands indeed are externally imposed, as violations are subject to social condemnation. While in modern society objectified moral demands may serve as a cue for desirable interaction partners, human morality evolved in small tribes that offered little choice regarding with whom to cooperate. Instead, it was adaptive to objectify moral demands to avoid the costs of social exclusion.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 41 , 2018 , e115
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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