Welcome! The Topic For Today is The Moral Instinct by Steven Pinker

1. Welcome! The Topic For Today is The Moral Instinct by Steven Pinker

2. The Moral Instinct

3. Main Claim: 200 • Question: • With the title of his article, Pinker claims this is the basis of morality. • Answer • Instinct Back

4. Main Claim: 400 • Question: • When people are asked to judge the morality of celebrities, they do not rely on this. • Answer • Reasoning. Back

5. Main Claim: 600 • Question: • When presented with moral dilemmas, people cannot explain what? • Answer • Their moral choices Back

6. Main Claim: 800 • Question: • Name one factor that does influence how we judge others’ morality. • Answer • Possible answers: wearing white clothing, religious behavior, public appeals for charity. Back

7. Main Claim: 1000 • Question: • Name of the man compared with Bill Gates and Mother Theresa in Pinker’s opening. Answer • Norman Borlaug Back

8. Biological Basis: 200 • Question: • During the trolley problems involving direct harm to others, FMRI of brains shows what is occurring? • Answer • Conflict between different regions. Back

9. Biological Basis: 400 • Question: • De Waal’s studies of chimpanzees given cucumbers rather than grapes for the same task showed they have a sense of what? Answer • Fairness. Back

10. Biological Basis: 600 • Question: • De Waal’s studies of chimpanzees given a task where they must cooperate to get food, even when one of them is not hungry, showed they have a sense of what • Answer • Empathy. Back

11. Biological Basis: 800 • Question: • Elephants asked to cooperate pulling ropes to get food usually do, but one cheated by doing what? • Answer • Standing on the rope. Back

12. Biological Basis: 1000 • Question: • Studies of such animals as chimpanzees and elephants, which show they have some moral traits, supports what aspect of human morals? Answer • Evolution (from morality in animal ancestors). Back

13. Spheres and Emphases: 200 • Question: • Pinker says that there are how many spheres of morality • Answer • Five Back

14. Spheres and Emphases: 400 • Question: • Haidt’s work on surveys with the trolley problem and similar dilemmas shows conservatives and liberals agree on what? Answer • Harm and Fairness spheres. Back

15. Spheres and Emphases: 600 • Question: • Name two morality spheres that are de-emphasized by liberals. • Answer • Possible answers: Purity, community, authority/obedience Back

16. Spheres and Emphases: 800 • Question: • Name one spheres of morality to which Mother Theresa probably appeals in her appearance of morality? • Answer • Possible answers: Purity, community Back

17. Spheres and Emphases: 1000 • Question: • According to Pinker, how do people change their emphasis on certain spheres? • Answer • Either or both: Moralization or demoralization Back

18. Trolley Problems: 200 • Question: • Pinker explains that when people are faced with throwing a lever to cause one rather than five deaths, they usually choose what? • Answer • Lever (or One) Back

19. Trolley Problems: 400 • Question: • When people could save five from a runaway trolley by throwing someone on the track, what do they decide, throwing or inaction? • Answer • Inaction Back

20. Trolley Problems: 600 • Question: • Different choices when faced with the same numerical odds of saving life shows that people don’t use what in choosing moral actions? • Answer • Logic (reasoning). Back

21. Trolley Problems: 800 • Question: • The underlying principle in throwing someone on the tracks in the Trolley Problem seems to be what a violation of what sphere of morality, according to Pinker? Answer • Harm or hurt. Back

22. Trolley Problems: 1000 • Question: • The Trolley Problem has been criticized as neglecting several factors that could influence how a person would choose. From class discussion of other sources, name one such factor. • Answer • Possible answers: Relative’s life, affiliation with same group as some of the people, knowing versus not knowing them. Back

23. Future Morality: 200 • Question: • What does Pinker say people might think about morality if it’s an instinct? • Answer • Shaky or threatened. Back

24. Future Morality: 400 • Question: • What basis of morality does Pinker see as having lost force today? • Answer • Religion Back

25. Future Morality: 600 • Question: • If animals are moral, what possible basis of morality is most incompatible with that? Answer • Religions that claim humans are special creations in the image of god. Back

26. Future Morality: 800 • Question: • In experiments, animals are generous even when they won’t get a reward. What does Pinker think they might gain? • Answer • Future good will. Back

27. Future Morality: 1000 • Question: • Why does Pinker think that morality will not erode if people accept a biological basis rather than a religious one? • Answer • Knowing the basis will increase self-knowledge. Back

28. Bonus Question: 5000 pts. • Question: • Give the name of the endowed chair that Steven Pinker holds at Harvard University. • Answer • Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology. Back

29. Daily Double The Winner Of The Last Round Write Down How Much Money You Are Willing To Risk If You get the Question right you win that money If you get it wrong you Lose the money!

30. Daily Double The Winner Of The Last Round Write Down How Much Money You Are Willing To Risk If You get the Question right you win that money If you get it wrong you Lose the money!