Abstract
"This volume examines the psychological basis of moral judgments and considers how moral concepts are comparable to mental states by combining philosophical reasoning and empirical insights from the fields of moral psychology and cognitive science. Through analysis of empirical data on moral semantic intuitions, gathered via cross-cultural experimental research, Parks draws on a decade of empirical research to reveal that referents of individuals' moral judgements vary across time, contexts, and groups. On this basis, he proposes a novel pluralistic theory of moral concepts which combines cognitive structures and emotions and reflects a new form of moral relativism, where moral judgments cannot be universally true across time and location. This text will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in the philosophy of psychology, applied social psychology, and moral development more broadly. Those interested in cognitive psychology, ethics philosophy, and moral theory will also benefit from the volume"--