The gamut of moral disagreement is vast. Hijabs, vaccines, and abortions are variously condoned and condemned. Homeless buskers encounter a mixture of contempt and compassion. Legal battles rage about whether to protect or exploit marine life in the high seas. What explains this moral variegation, and how can we productively overcome moral discord? My interdisciplinary research integrates social, developmental, cognitive, cross-cultural, and philosophical methodologies to investigate diversity and malleability in the endowment and withholding of moral value. It is driven by four associated questions:

1. How extensive and variable are the contours of the moral domain?
2. How and why do disgust and dirtiness reduce the scope of moral treatment?
3. How do people allocate moral value to outgroup members, animals, and ecosystems?
4. What leads children and adults to acquire new moral beliefs or to change existing moral beliefs?

In sum, my research aims to describe and explain the cartography and gerrymandering of various moral boundaries.

This podcast episode features an in-depth discussion about my research.

Here is a complete description of my research program (as of August 10, 2020).