Introduction

This volume brings together philosophical perspectives on the role of emotions and imagination in moral cognition with psychological findings from the neurosciences, cognitive sciences, social psychology, personality theory, and developmental psychology. Among the issues and the questions examined are the following: What can we learn about the importance of empathic responsiveness in moral cognition by studying typically developing young children, young children and adolescents with callous-unemotional traits, and adults from the general community with psychopathic tendencies? What are the theoretical implications for moral philosophy of recent experimental research on emotions and moral reasoning in the neurosciences, cognitive science, and social psychology? Conversely, do the existing theoretical frameworks and experimental methodologies in empirical moral psychology do justice to the normative dimensions of moral discourse and to the complexity of everyday moral reflection? How might these theoretical frameworks and experimental methodologies be improved, with collaborative input from researchers across the various disciplines involved in moral cognition research?