Exile of the accidental witch: character and intention in an uncertain social world

Moral psychology is shifting from an act paradigm wherein actions are judged in isolation toward a character paradigm geared toward inferences of an actor’s potential as a social-relational partner in the future. From this perspective, seemingly irrational influences of character become rational inputs into moral judgment, and intentions only matter when they have predictive validity for future social relations. Intentions are discounted when actors have pre-existing negative characteristics that preclude them from social relations, when negative actions cannot be prevented in the future regardless of intention, and when the damage done by actions cause irreparable damage to social relationships.