by Lucy Petee
Nominated by Mara Bollard for COGSCI/PHIL 302: Topics in Moral Psychology
Instructor Introduction
COGSCI/PHIL 302 explores moral psychology, an interdisciplinary area of study that draws from both moral philosophy and empirical cognitive science. Topics in moral psychology -- including moral judgment, the focus of Lucy Petee’s project -- are both psychological (empirical) and ethical (normative) in nature. Empirical questions about what moral judgment is and how it works are, importantly, distinct from normative questions about what makes particular moral judgments true or trustworthy. There is still plenty of lively disagreement about the answers to these questions among contemporary moral psychologists, and Lucy’s final project, a satirical online advice column, skillfully dives into the debate -- with plenty of humor along the way! Lucy effectively represents the opposing positions (as well as some of the normative assumptions hidden therein) in the debate via multiple blog entries, each offering different “expert” advice. Lucy’s project also provides insight into some of the methods at work in moral psychology: the moral dilemmas Lucy crafts on behalf of fictional advice-seekers cleverly draw attention to the contentious role that certain case studies play in moral psychology experiments and arguments.This is an outstanding piece of writing, rich in both creativity and content mastery, that I’ll remember for a long time to come.
— Mara Bollard
Ask Moira Lee
A satirical advice column blog for Cognitive Science 302! This blog was founded by Moira Lee, a moral philosophy enthusiast and avid disperser of life advice. Moira and the team are here to help you reason your way through any moral dilemma that comes your way. Whether you've stolen drugs, directed a runaway trolley, or committed some casual cannibalism, we're here to offer you comfort and critique.
