The neural basis of moral cognition: sentiments, concepts, and values

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008 Mar:1124:161-80. doi: 10.1196/annals.1440.005.

Abstract

The human moral nature has perplexed laymen and academics for millennia. Recent developments in cognitive neuroscience are opening new venues for unveiling the complex psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underling human morality and its impairments. Here we review these lines of evidence and key topics of debate and explain why investigating the mechanisms of cognition-emotion interaction and of the neural bases of moral sentiments and values will be critical for our understanding of the human moral mind.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping*
  • Cognition / ethics
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Moral Obligations*
  • Motivation
  • Psychopathology
  • Social Behavior