Episodic Inputs to Moral Cognition: The Role of Memory and Imagination in Shaping the Moral Mind

Research in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy has proposed a multifaceted view of human cognition and morality, establishing that inputs from multiple cognitive and affective processes such as theory of mind, semantic knowledge, and language guide moral judgment and decision-making. However, the extant perspective of moral cognition has largely overlooked a critical role for episodic representation. The ability to remember or imagine a specific moment in the past or future, supported by the medial temporal lobe subsystem, plays a broadly influential role in how people think, feel, and behave. Yet existing research has only just begun to explore the influence of episodic representation on moral judgment and decision-making. Here, we evaluate the theoretical connections between episodic representation and moral judgment, review emerging empirical work revealing how episodic representation affects moral judgment and decision-making, and conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature and future directions to explore. We argue that a comprehensive model of moral cognition will require including contributions of the episodic memory system, further delineating its direct influence on morality as well as better understanding how this system engages and interacts with other mental processes to fundamentally shape human morality.