A Solution to the Mysteries of Morality
A Solution to the Mysteries of Morality
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DOI：
10.1037/a0029065
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发表时间：
2013-03-01
影响因子：
22.4
通讯作者：
Kurzban, Robert
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
DeScioli, Peter;Kurzban, Robert
我们认为，道德谴责的作用是引导旁观者在纠纷中选择与其他旁观者相同的立场。人类在密集的社交网络中互动，当发生冲突时，这给旁观者带来了一个问题：支持哪一方（如果有的话）。选择立场是一个困难的战略问题，因为冲突的结果很大程度上取决于其他旁观者支持哪一方。一种策略是站在地位较高的争议者一边，这可以让旁观者相互协调，站在同一边，从而降低战斗成本。然而，这种策略的代价是让地位高的人能够剥削他人。第二种可能的策略是根据现有关系选择立场。这种策略平衡了权力，但也带来了另一个成本：旁观者选择不同的一方，这种不协调导致冲突升级和高昂的战斗成本。我们提出，道德认知旨在通过实施动态协调策略来管理这两个问题，在该策略中，旁观者根据来自争论者行为而不是其身份的公共信号来协调立场。通过关注争议者的行为，旁观者可以动态地改变他们在不同争议中支持的个人，同时解决协调和剥削问题。我们应用这些想法来解释各种其他神秘的道德现象。
We propose that moral condemnation functions to guide bystanders to choose the same side as other bystanders in disputes. Humans interact in dense social networks, and this poses a problem for bystanders when conflicts arise: which side, if any, to support. Choosing sides is a difficult strategic problem because the outcome of a conflict critically depends on which side other bystanders support. One strategy is siding with the higher status disputant, which can allow bystanders to coordinate with one another to take the same side, reducing fighting costs. However, this strategy carries the cost of empowering high-status individuals to exploit others. A second possible strategy is choosing sides based on preexisting relationships. This strategy balances power but carries another cost: Bystanders choose different sides, and this discoordination causes escalated conflicts and high fighting costs. We propose that moral cognition is designed to manage both of these problems by implementing a dynamic coordination strategy in which bystanders coordinate side-taking based on a public signal derived from disputants' actions rather than their identities. By focusing on disputants' actions, bystanders can dynamically change which individuals they support across different disputes, simultaneously solving the problems of coordination and exploitation. We apply these ideas to explain a variety of otherwise mysterious moral phenomena.