ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 aims to answer two questions, “How do we typically think on moral issues?” and “given how we think, should we trust our moral cognition?” The chapter explicates what is called Moral Foundations Theory, which includes four theses: nativism, cultural influences, intuitionism, and pluralism. There are two pericopes of the theory I wish to highlight in this chapter. The first is that intuitions come first, and moral reasoning comes second. The second aspect of the theory that I draw attention to is the explanation for why we have the intuitions we do. On this point the chapter highlights the importance of cultural influences, biases, and more subjective motivational influences. To the second question, the chapter explains the problem of epistemic circularity – the problem of proving the reliability of one’s faculties without appealing to the very outputs of that faculty. The answer to the first question gives one evidence for questioning the source of one’s moral beliefs.
