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Lives Well Lived
PAUL BLOOM: the role of reason in moral judgements
Sep 5, 2024
Paul Bloom, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and former Yale professor, brings fascinating insights into morality. He discusses how reason plays a crucial role in moral decisions, arguing against relying solely on emotions. The conversation dives into the complexities of moral judgments, revealing children’s inherent sense of morality and the influence of empathy. Bloom also distinguishes between fleeting pleasures and long-term happiness, exploring our emotional attachments to sentimental objects and their psychological significance.
01:13:45
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Quick takeaways
- Paul Bloom highlights that infants exhibit innate moral senses, showing preferences for altruism over selfishness, suggesting morality may be hardwired.
- Bloom explores the complex interplay between pleasure and pain, illustrating how discomfort can lead to enjoyable experiences like sad films or intense challenges.
Deep dives
The Innate Moral Sense of Infants
Research indicates that infants possess an innate moral sense from an early age. Paul Bloom discusses experiments where babies, even as young as six months, show preferences for altruistic behaviors over selfish ones, as demonstrated through puppet shows. This challenges the view that morality is solely a product of cultural learning since these young children exhibit implicit moral judgments before they can articulate them. The findings suggest that elements of morality are likely hardwired and point to similarities in moral reasoning between humans and certain non-human animals.
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