The logic of universalization guides moral judgment

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Moral Philosophy
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The "What if everybody did that?" heuristic is a common moral reasoning tool.
• Universalization posits that individual actions' morality depends on their consequences if generalized.
• Existing models of moral judgment include outcome-based and rule-based reasoning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formalize universalization into a computational model.
• To empirically test the model's predictions against human moral judgments.
• To differentiate universalization from other moral judgment mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Development of a computational model for universalization.
• Quantitative testing of the model's predictions using human participants.
• Comparative analysis against alternative moral judgment models.

Main Results:

• Adults' moral judgments align with the computational model of universalization.
• Children exhibit similar judgment patterns, suggesting early development of this reasoning.
• Universalization logic was distinguished from outcome-based and rule-based thinking.

Conclusions:

• The logic of universalization is a significant component of human moral cognition.
• This principle operates alongside other established moral reasoning mechanisms.
• Findings support universalization as a fundamental aspect of moral judgment across development.