Generalized morality culturally evolves as an adaptive heuristic in large social networks

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Cultural Evolution
• Moral Psychology

Background:

• Humanity's understanding of morality is complex.
• Existing models do not fully explain variations in moral perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new model of moral character perception.
• To explore the relationship between social network size and moral perception.
• To investigate the cultural evolution of generalized morality.

Main Methods:

• Cross-cultural studies correlating social network size with moral perception.
• Agent-based modeling to simulate cooperation in social networks.
• Experimental manipulation of partner unfamiliarity.
• Historical analysis of morality perception in English-language texts.

Main Results:

• Social network size positively correlates with generalized morality perception.
• Increased exposure outside local regions leads to more generalized morality views.
• Generalized morality is adaptive for cooperation in large, unfamiliar social networks.
• Morality perception has become more generalized over the past 200 years.

Conclusions:

• Moral character perception varies between localized and generalized views.
• Cultural evolution, driven by social network size and complexity, shapes moral perception.
• Generalized morality is an adaptation for navigating complex, anonymous societies.