scholarly journals From teleology to morality: Why belief in human purpose prompts moral condemnation of individuals who fail to fulfill it

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey Lewry ◽  
Deborah Kelemen ◽  
Tania Lombrozo
Keyword(s):  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Moral Condemnation ◽  
Good For ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Human Purpose

People often endorse explanations that appeal to purpose, even when these ‘teleological’ explanations are scientifically unwarranted (e.g., “water exists so that life can survive on Earth”). In the present research, we explore teleological endorsement in a novel domain—human purpose—and its relationship to moral judgments. Across four studies, we address three questions: (1) Do people believe the human species exists for a purpose? (2) Do these beliefs drive moral condemnation of individuals who fail to fulfill this purpose? And if so, (3) what explains the link between teleological beliefs and moral condemnation? Study 1 (N=188) found that many adults endorsed anthropic teleology (e.g., that humans exist in order to procreate), and that these beliefs correlated with moral condemnation of purpose violations (e.g., judging those who do not procreate immoral). Study 2 (N=199) found evidence of a bi-directional causal relationship: teleological claims about a species resulted in moral condemnation of purpose violations, and stipulating that an action is immoral increased judgments that the species exists for that purpose. Study 3 (N=94) replicated a causal effect of species-level purpose on moral condemnation with novel actions and more implicit character judgments. Study 4 (N=52) found that when a species is believed to exist to perform some action, participants infer that the action is good for the species, and that this belief in turn supports moral condemnation of individuals who choose not to perform the action. Together, these findings shed light on how our descriptive understanding can shape our prescriptive judgments.

scholarly journals Do Moral Judgements Motivate Free Will Belief?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Elliott Monroe ◽  
Dominic Ysidron
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Experiment Study ◽  
Norm Violation ◽  
Immoral Behavior ◽  
Moral Judgements ◽  
Do So

Free will is often appraised as a necessary input to for holding others morally or legally responsible for misdeeds. Recently, however, Clark and colleagues (2014), argued for the opposite causal relationship. They assert that moral judgments and the desire to punish motivate people’s belief in free will. In three experiments—two exact replications (Studies 1 & 2b) and one close replication (Study 2a) we seek to replicate these findings. Additionally, in a novel experiment (Study 3) we test a theoretical challenge derived from attribution theory, which suggests that immoral behaviors do not uniquely influence free will judgments. Instead, our nonviolation model argues that norm deviations, of any kind—good, bad, or strange—cause people to attribute more free will to agents, and attributions of free will are explained via desire inferences. Across replication experiments we found no evidence for the original claim that witnessing immoral behavior causes people to increase their belief in free will, though we did replicate the finding that people attribute more free will to agents who behave immorally compared to a neutral control (Studies 2a & 3). Finally, our novel experiment demonstrated broad support for our norm-violation account, suggesting that people’s willingness to attribute free will to others is malleable, but not because people are motivated to blame. Instead, this experiment shows that attributions of free will are best explained by people’s expectations for norm adherence, and when these expectations are violated people infer that an agent expressed their free will to do so.

scholarly journals Causal Association Between Heart Failure and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenglin Duan ◽  
Jingjing Shi ◽  
Guozhen Yuan ◽  
Xintian Shou ◽  
Ting Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Mendelian Randomization ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
Simple Mode

Background: Traditional observational studies have demonstrated an association between heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease. The strengths of observational studies lie in their speed of implementation, cost, and applicability to rare diseases. However, observational studies have several limitations, such as uncontrollable confounders. Therefore, we employed Mendelian randomization of genetic variants to evaluate the causal relationships existing between AD and HF, which can avoid these limitations.Materials and Methods: A two-sample bidirectional MR analysis was employed. All datasets were results from the UK’s Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit genome-wide association study database, and we conducted a series of control steps to select the most suitable single-nucleotide polymorphisms for MR analysis, for which five primary methods are offered. We reversed the functions of exposure and outcomes to explore the causal direction of HF and AD. Sensitivity analysis was used to conduct several tests to avoid heterogeneity and pleiotropic bias in the MR results.Results: Our MR studies did not support a meaningful causal relationship between AD on HF (MR-Egger, p = 0.634 > 0.05; weighted median (WM), p = 0.337 > 0.05; inverse variance weighted (IVW), p = 0.471 > 0.05; simple mode, p = 0.454 > 0.05; weighted mode, p = 0.401 > 0.05). At the same time, we did not find a significant causal relationship between HF and AD with four of the methods (MR-Egger, p = 0.195 > 0.05; IVW, p = 0.0879 > 0.05; simple mode, p = 0.170 > 0.05; weighted mode, p = 0.110 > 0.05), but the WM method indicated a significant effect of HF on AD (p = 0.025 < 0.05). Because the statistical powers of IVW and MR-Egger are more than that of WM, we think that there is no causal effect of HF on AD. Sensitivity analysis and horizontal pleiotropy were not detected in the MR analysis.Conclusion: Our results did not provide significant evidence indicating any causal relationships between HF and AD in the European population. Therefore, more large-scale datasets or datasets related to similar factors are expected for further MR analysis.

scholarly journals I think, therefore I forgive: The role of reasoning in forgiving accidental harms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrajeet Patil ◽  
Bastien Trémolière
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Style ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Reasoning Ability ◽  
Total N ◽  
Moral Condemnation

People experience a strong conflict while condemning someone who brought about an accidental harm, her innocent intention exonerating her, but the harmful outcome incriminating her. In the present research (total N = 4879), we explore how reasoning ability and cognitive style relate to how people choose to resolve this conflict and judge the accidental harms. A first set of studies (1a-c) showed that individual differences in cognitive style predicted severity of judgments in fictitious accidental harms scenarios, with more able (or willing) reasoners being less harsh in their judgments. A second set of studies (2a-c) relied on experimental manipulations of cognitive load (Dot matrix, Time pressure, Mortality Salience manipulations), aiming to tax available cognitive resources to participants while evaluating third-party harmful behaviors. These manipulations, however, failed to modulate people’s moral judgments for accidental harms. We discuss the importance of individual differences in reasoning ability in the assessment of accidental harms, and we also propose potential explanations for the failure of our experimental manipulations to affect severity of moral condemnation.

The Impact of US Monetary Growth on Bitcoin Trading Volume in the Current Economic Uncertainty

2020 ◽  
pp. 493-509
Author(s):  
İsmail Canöz
Keyword(s):  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Economic Uncertainty ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the effect of US monetary growth on Bitcoin trading volume. To achieve this purpose, firstly, the symmetric causality test is used. Following this test, another symmetric causality test is used to reveal a time-varying causal effect between variables. The data set covers the period from July 2010 to July 2019. The results of the first symmetric causality test, which considers the time interval of the study data as a whole, show that there is no causal relationship between variables. According to the results of the second causality test, these support the previous results substantially. However, an interesting detail is the causal relationship between variables for the period between April 2019 and July 2019. The reason for this relationship could be that investors who are indecisive during the current economic uncertainty add Bitcoin to their portfolios in response to the Federal Reserve's decisions.

Shrouded Prices and Firm Reputation: Evidence from the U.S. Hotel Industry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bennett Chiles
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scale ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Firm Reputation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
The U.S

Firms in many industries engage in price obfuscation—tactics that intentionally make prices more difficult for consumers to discern. Although existing research has focused on the short-term financial gains that motivate firms to obfuscate, reputational concerns may at least partially counteract these incentives if consumers punish deceptive firms via loss of loyalty in future transactions and/or publicly observable negative feedback. This paper addresses the latter possibility, exploring the impact of mandatory shrouded surcharges on firm reputation in the U.S. hotel industry. Using data collected from two major online travel sites, I exploit differences in surcharge disclosure across booking channels to identify the causal effect of hidden “resort fees” on traveler ratings. I find that hidden fees decrease ratings by roughly 0.15 points (on a rating scale ranging from 1 to 5). The magnitude of this effect varies based on firm characteristics, and this variation is consistent with observed heterogeneity in resort fee adoption patterns: when the expected punishment is more severe, firms are substantially less likely to adopt shrouded surcharges. Results shed light on the extent to which reputational mechanisms may act as a check against price obfuscation and other similar practices intended to exploit boundedly rational consumers. This paper was accepted by Eric Anderson, marketing.

scholarly journals The dawn of social bonds: what is the role of shared experiences in non-human animals?

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 20200201
Author(s):  
Laura Busia ◽  
Matteo Griggio
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationship ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
High Predation ◽  
Shed Light

Group-living animals can develop social bonds. Social bonds can be considered a type of social relationship characterized by frequent and consistent affiliative (non-reproductive) interactions. Social bonds with conspecifics bring many advantages, also in terms of direct fitness. A characteristic of social bonds is that they need time to develop. Several studies on humans have emphasized the fact that sharing experiences can affect the strength of social bonds. A similar trend can be spotted in non-human species. For example, a recent experiment showed that if chimpanzees watched a video together with a conspecific, they spent more time in proximity compared to conspecifics with whom they did not actively watch a video. Another experiment on fish showed that individuals who experienced a situation of high predation risk together, showed preference for each other compared to those who did not. As the link between shared experiences and social bonds is not explicitly recognized in non-human animals, the main goal of this work is to propose the exploration of this novel research path. This exploration would contribute to shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of social bond (or friendship) development and maintenance between individuals in different vertebrate species, from fish to non-human primates.

scholarly journals ODA and Provincial Economic Growth in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dang Ngoc Duc ◽  
Do Thi Ngoc Lan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Granger Causality ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Granger Causality Test ◽  
Causality Test

The focal point of this paper is focused on assessing the causal relationship between ODA and economic growth in the localities of Vietnam. This research uses panel data of ODA and GDP from 63 provinces of Vietnam by using Granger Causality test. The results showed that ODA has a causal effect on economic growth (GDP) and vice versa, economic growth decides to attract ODA in provinces in Vietnam. This result complements studies on the causal relationship between ODA and economic growth using new empirical evidence through case studies in the provinces of Vietnam.

scholarly journals A Study on the Value of Preserving a Parasitic Volcanic Sieve as a Tourism Good for Sustainable Management: Using the Contingent Valuation Method

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2825
Author(s):  
Won Seok Lee
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Contingent Valuation ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Dichotomous Choice ◽  
Valuation Method ◽  
Good For

The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic value of Geomun Oreum (GO), a parasitic volcanic sieve, for sustainable management by using the dichotomous choice contingent valuation method. To address the exaggeration tendency of willingness to pay (WTP), the contingent valuation method’s (CVM’s) traditional threshold, respondents’ WTP answers were reconfirmed to screen only true responses for our analysis. In addition to estimating the economic value, the causal relationship between the tour guide’s quality of explanation and the respondents’ payment intention is examined in the study. The results reveal that the estimated preservation value of GO is 35,881 KRW (33.28 USD), and the quality of the tour guide’s narrative is statistically related to the respondents’ payment intention.

scholarly journals Evidence of causal effect of major depression on alcohol dependence: findings from the psychiatric genomics consortium

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (07) ◽  
pp. 1218-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Polimanti ◽  
Roseann E. Peterson ◽  
Jue-Sheng Ong ◽  
Stuart MacGregor ◽  
Alexis C. Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Wide Data ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Shared Genetic

AbstractBackgroundDespite established clinical associations among major depression (MD), alcohol dependence (AD), and alcohol consumption (AC), the nature of the causal relationship between them is not completely understood. We leveraged genome-wide data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and UK Biobank to test for the presence of shared genetic mechanisms and causal relationships among MD, AD, and AC.MethodsLinkage disequilibrium score regression and Mendelian randomization (MR) were performed using genome-wide data from the PGC (MD: 135 458 cases and 344 901 controls; AD: 10 206 cases and 28 480 controls) and UK Biobank (AC-frequency: 438 308 individuals; AC-quantity: 307 098 individuals).ResultsPositive genetic correlation was observed between MD and AD (rgMD−AD = + 0.47, P = 6.6 × 10−10). AC-quantity showed positive genetic correlation with both AD (rgAD−AC quantity = + 0.75, P = 1.8 × 10−14) and MD (rgMD−AC quantity = + 0.14, P = 2.9 × 10−7), while there was negative correlation of AC-frequency with MD (rgMD−AC frequency = −0.17, P = 1.5 × 10−10) and a non-significant result with AD. MR analyses confirmed the presence of pleiotropy among these four traits. However, the MD-AD results reflect a mediated-pleiotropy mechanism (i.e. causal relationship) with an effect of MD on AD (beta = 0.28, P = 1.29 × 10−6). There was no evidence for reverse causation.ConclusionThis study supports a causal role for genetic liability of MD on AD based on genetic datasets including thousands of individuals. Understanding mechanisms underlying MD-AD comorbidity addresses important public health concerns and has the potential to facilitate prevention and intervention efforts.

scholarly journals GROUNDS OF LAW AND LEGAL THEORY: A Response

Legal Theory ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 315-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Finnis
Keyword(s):  
Natural Law ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Sound Theory ◽  
Questions And Answers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Natural Law Theory ◽  
Good For

Linking theses of Plato, Wittgenstein, and Weber, section I argues that identification of central cases and settling of focal meanings depend upon the theorist's purpose(s) and, in the case of theory about human affairs—theory adequately attentive to the four irreducible orders in which human persons live and act—upon the purposes for which we intelligibly and intelligently act. Among these purposes, primacy (centrality) is to be accorded (by acknowledgement, not fiat) to purposes which are, as best the theorist can judge, reasonable and fit to be adopted by anyone, the theorist included. Section II defends the reasonableness (and hence entitlement to universal assent) of practical and moral judgments, against Michael Perry's ultimately nihilist claims that egoism's challenge to moral normativity has gone unanswered and that “reason for A” does not entail “reason for” anyone else. Section III takes up Steven Smith's suggestion that such subjectivism is encouraged by the talk in Natural Law and Natural Rights of “pursuing goods,” talk which (he argues) is individualistic and neglectful of (other) persons, inimical to an understanding of friendship, and impotent in the face of egoism. Here as elsewhere the key is to grasp that understanding any basic or intrinsic human good is to understand it as good for anyone like me and thus—since as I instantiate and embody a universal, viz. human being—as a good common to (good for) anyone and everyone. Section IV argues that common good (which includes respect for human rights, and the Rule of Law) gives reason for exercise and acceptance of authority, and for allegiance, even (and in a sense, especially) in time of breakdown. Section V argues that natural law theory is no more dependent on affirming God's existence than any other theory is, in any of the four orders of theory, but equally that is not safe for atheists. For, like any other sound theory, it suggests and is consistent with questions and answers about its grounds, in this case about the source of its normativity and of the human nature that its normative universals presuppose and affirm; and the answers are those argued for, too abstemiously, in the last chapter of NLNR and, more adequately, in the equivalent chapter of Aquinas.

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