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Understanding the adult moralist requires first understanding the child scientist

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2010

Tamar Kushnir  and
Nadia Chernyak
Tamar Kushnir
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. tk396@cornell.edunc98@cornell.eduhttp://www.human.cornell.edu/che/bio.cfm?netid=tk397
Nadia Chernyak
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. tk396@cornell.edunc98@cornell.eduhttp://www.human.cornell.edu/che/bio.cfm?netid=tk397
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Abstract

Children learn from people and about people simultaneously; that is, children consider evidentiary qualities of human actions which cross traditional domain boundaries. We propose that Knobe's moral asymmetries are a natural consequence of this learning process: the way “child scientists” gather evidence for causation, intention, and morality through early social experiences.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , August 2010 , pp. 343 - 344
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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