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The Experimental Psychology of Moral Enhancement: We Should If We Could, But We Can't

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2018

Sylvia Terbeck  and
Kathryn B. Francis
Sylvia Terbeck*
Affiliation:
University of Plymouth
Kathryn B. Francis
Affiliation:
University of Plymouth
*
sylvia.terbeck@plymouth.ac.uk
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Abstract

In this chapter we will review experimental evidence related to pharmacological moral enhancement. Firstly, we will present our recent study in which we found that a drug called propranolol could change moral judgements. Further research, which also investigated this, found similar results. Secondly, we will discuss the limitations of such approaches, when it comes to the idea of general “human enhancement”. Whilst promising effects on certain moral concepts might be beneficial to the development of theoretical moral psychology, enhancement of human moral behaviour in general – to our current understanding – has more side-effects than intended effects, making it potentially harmful. We give an overview of misconceptions when taking experimental findings beyond the laboratory and discuss the problems and solutions associated with the psychological assessment of moral behaviour. Indeed, how is morality “measured” in psychology, and are those measures reliable?

Type
Papers
Information
Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements , Volume 83: Moral Enhancement: Critical Perspectives , October 2018 , pp. 313 - 328
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy and the contributors 2018 

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