Neuroeconomics and Reinforcement Learning: The Concept of Value in the Neuroscience of Morals
By Julia Haas Julia Haas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Rhodes College. Her research focuses on theories of valuation and choice. Imagine a shopper named Barbara in the pasta aisle of her local market. Just as she reaches for her favorite brand of pasta, she remembers that one of the company's senior executives made a homophobic statement . What should she do? She likes the brand's affordability and flavor but prefers to buy from companies that support LGBTQ communities . Barbara then notices that a typically more expensive brand of pasta is on sale and buys a package of that instead. Notably, she doesn't decide what brand of pasta she will buy in the future. Barbara’s deliberation reflects a common form of human choice. It also raises a number of questions for moral psychological theories of normative cognition. How do human beings make choices involving normative dimensions? Why do normative principles affect individuals differen...