ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on the findings generated in empirical investigations of ethics that measured one or more characteristics of the respondents, such as their ages, their values, or their personality traits, but also their responses to the Ethics Position Questionnaire. It examines the responses of individuals who participated in the YourMorals research project, an online survey site developed by P. H. Ditto, J. Haidt, R. Iyer, J. Graham, S. Koleva, and their colleagues. Variations in idealism and relativism are linked to differences in age, sex, religiosity, and ethnicity. Trait-based approaches, noting that men and women differ psychologically in instrumentality, competitiveness, sensitivity, and emotional understanding, suggest the sexes will likely also differ in ethics. The concept of Machiavellianism takes its name from the work of Niccolo Machiavelli, who offered some highly practical if morally suspect advice to those who wish to gain and hold power in turbulent contexts.
