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Biological and social predictors and correlates of human morality
Kopecký, Robin
In this dissertation, we delve into the multifaceted domains of biological and social factors influencing human morality. The connecting element of this collection of four studies is both an interest in human morality as a traditional philosophical topic and the use of methods from empirical sciences, particularly biology, behavioural, and cognitive sciences. The first study focuses on the moral algorithms in autonomous vehicles. We examined moral preferences regarding the choice between software types that differ in their built-in algorithms for dealing with lethal collisions. These are categorized into three specific types: selfish, altruistic, and conservative. Respondents exhibited a preference for the altruistic strategy, which is reinforced when signalled to others. The altruistic preference is the most pronounced when it applies to everybody else, weaker when it reflects only a personal choice, and the weakest when choosing for one's own child. We conclude that making a choice public significantly sways individuals towards a more socially beneficial solution. The second study investigates the relationship between parasite Toxoplasma gondii infection and its subsequent impact on human political beliefs and values. Infected participants exhibited a tendency towards heightened tribalism and...
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Biological and social predictors and correlates of human morality
Kopecký, Robin ; Flegr, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Špinka, Marek (referee) ; Houdek, Petr (referee)
In this dissertation, we delve into the multifaceted domains of biological and social factors influencing human morality. The connecting element of this collection of four studies is both an interest in human morality as a traditional philosophical topic and the use of methods from empirical sciences, particularly biology, behavioural, and cognitive sciences. The first study focuses on the moral algorithms in autonomous vehicles. We examined moral preferences regarding the choice between software types that differ in their built-in algorithms for dealing with lethal collisions. These are categorized into three specific types: selfish, altruistic, and conservative. Respondents exhibited a preference for the altruistic strategy, which is reinforced when signalled to others. The altruistic preference is the most pronounced when it applies to everybody else, weaker when it reflects only a personal choice, and the weakest when choosing for one's own child. We conclude that making a choice public significantly sways individuals towards a more socially beneficial solution. The second study investigates the relationship between parasite Toxoplasma gondii infection and its subsequent impact on human political beliefs and values. Infected participants exhibited a tendency towards heightened tribalism and...
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