Moral Enhancement Should Target Self-Interest and Cognitive Capacity
Neuroethics April 26, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s12152-017-9331-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Prosocial behavior Empathy Self-interest Moral disengagement Cognition Aggression Moral reasoning Moral development Psychological intervention Moral psychology Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 22 |
| Key points | Proposes that decreasing self-interested motivation, rather than directly increasing prosociality, and complementing this with cognitive enhancement, is the most friction-free route to moral enhancement. |
Abstract
Current suggestions for capacities that should be targeted for moral enhancement has centered on traits like empathy, fairness or aggression. The literature, however, lacks a proper model for understanding the interplay and complexity of moral capacities, which limits the practicability of proposed interventions. In this paper, I integrate some existing knowledge on the nature of human moral behavior and present a formal model of prosocial motivation. The model provides two important results regarding the most friction-free route to moral enhancement. First, we should consider decreasing self-interested motivation rather than increasing prosociality directly. Second, this should be complemented with cognitive enhancement. These suggestions are tested against existing and emerging evidence on cognitive capacity, mindfulness meditation and the effects of psychedelic drugs and are found to have sufficient grounding for further theoretical and empirical exploration. Furthermore, moral effects of the latter two are hypothesized to result from a diminished sense of self with subsequent reductions in self-interest.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Psychedelic unselfing: self-transcendence and change of values in psychedelic experiences Frontiers in Psychology June 14, 2023
- Moral Psychopharmacology Needs Moral Inquiry: The Case of Psychedelics Frontiers in Psychiatry August 2, 2021
- Philosophy and classic psychedelics: A review of some emerging themes Journal of Psychedelic Studies January 21, 2022
- Psychedelics and environmental virtues Philosophical Psychology March 29, 2022
- Psychedelics and moral psychology: the case of forgiveness Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry September 13, 2024
and 1 more in the library
Cites 16
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology December 1, 2011
- Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness Journal of Psychopharmacology September 28, 2011
and 11 more in the library