Moral Absolutism as a Theory of Mind Deficit
Moral Absolutism as a Theory of Mind Deficit Introduction Moral absolutism is an attitude toward morality in which actions are not evaluated as right or wrong based on how they affect others and the reasons behind the action, but rather certain actions are deemed as intrinsically right or wrong, regardless of whether it causes harm, and regardless of the reasons behind the action. Typically, the basis behind what actions are considered wrong by individuals with moral absolutist attitudes is in normative rules that have been taught or observed by the person, religious & political belief systems, and disgust/social norm violation. In this post I argue and provide evidence for the hypothesis that moral absolutism is partially caused by deficits in theory of mind, and cognitive empathy. Theoretical Basis Cognitive empathy is a component of empathy that is characterised by the ability to accurately detect others mental states, intentions, thoughts, and emotions, understand the causes of