Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA.
Psychol Bull. 2013 Mar;139(2):477-96. doi: 10.1037/a0029065. Epub 2012 Jul 2.
We propose that moral condemnation functions to guide bystanders to choose the same side as other bystanders in disputes. Humans interact in dense social networks, and this poses a problem for bystanders when conflicts arise: which side, if any, to support. Choosing sides is a difficult strategic problem because the outcome of a conflict critically depends on which side other bystanders support. One strategy is siding with the higher status disputant, which can allow bystanders to coordinate with one another to take the same side, reducing fighting costs. However, this strategy carries the cost of empowering high-status individuals to exploit others. A second possible strategy is choosing sides based on preexisting relationships. This strategy balances power but carries another cost: Bystanders choose different sides, and this discoordination causes escalated conflicts and high fighting costs. We propose that moral cognition is designed to manage both of these problems by implementing a dynamic coordination strategy in which bystanders coordinate side-taking based on a public signal derived from disputants' actions rather than their identities. By focusing on disputants' actions, bystanders can dynamically change which individuals they support across different disputes, simultaneously solving the problems of coordination and exploitation. We apply these ideas to explain a variety of otherwise mysterious moral phenomena.
我们提出，道德谴责的作用是引导旁观者在争议中选择与其他旁观者站在同一立场。人类在密集的社交网络中互动，这给旁观者在冲突出现时带来了一个问题：支持哪一方，如果有的话。选择立场是一个困难的战略问题，因为冲突的结果极大地取决于其他旁观者支持哪一方。一种策略是站在地位较高的争端方一边，这可以让旁观者相互协调，站在同一立场，从而降低战斗成本。然而，这种策略有一个弊端，即赋予了高地位的个人剥削他人的权力。另一种可能的策略是根据预先存在的关系选择立场。这种策略平衡了权力，但也带来了另一个成本：旁观者选择了不同的立场，这种不协调导致冲突升级和高战斗成本。我们提出，道德认知是为了解决这两个问题而设计的，它实施了一种动态协调策略，旁观者根据来自争端方行为的公共信号而不是他们的身份来协调立场。通过关注争端方的行为，旁观者可以在不同的争端中动态地改变他们支持的个体，同时解决协调和剥削的问题。我们将这些想法应用于解释各种其他神秘的道德现象。
