42 episodes

A psychologist who is endlessly fascinated with human morality interviews experts who dedicate their careers to understanding it.

The Moral Science Podcast Amber Cazzell

    • Science
    • 4.8 • 12 Ratings

A psychologist who is endlessly fascinated with human morality interviews experts who dedicate their careers to understanding it.

    Evolved Reason and Shared Challenges Yield Cooperation with Michael McCullough

    Evolved Reason and Shared Challenges Yield Cooperation with Michael McCullough

    Dr. Michael McCullough is a professor of psychology at University of California, San Diego. There, he directs the Evolution and Human Behavior Laboratory, where his team studies the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to cooperation, altruism, and aggression. His work also addresses shortcomings in the measurement of forgiveness, empathy, and altruism. He has authored and co-authored five books on these topics, the most recent of which we discuss in this podcast. In The Kindness of Strangers, Mike traces the interaction of social challenges and reason throughout history. We discuss how these interactions have shaped what it means to be cooperative, and how cooperation may continue to morph in the face of ongoing challenges like poverty and climate change.

    The Kindness of Strangers on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kindness-Strangers-Selfish-Invented-Moral/dp/0465064744

    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2021, March 30).  Evolved Reason and Shared Challenges Yield Cooperation with Michael McCullough [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep42-MikeMcCullough

    • 1 hr 7 min
    Would You Rather, Phantom Costs, and Conspiracy Theories with Andrew Vonasch

    Would You Rather, Phantom Costs, and Conspiracy Theories with Andrew Vonasch

    Dr. Andrew Vonasch is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Canterbury where he researches moral rationality. His academic training in economics and psychology has informed his interest in agency and divergences from the rational actor model. Specifically, Andy is interested in how people will incur costs to demonstrate that they are moral, and to ensure that other people behave morally too. In this podcast we discuss his work regarding costly tradeoffs in reputation management and tendencies to project hidden motives, or so-called phantom costs, onto others.


    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2020, October 13).  Would You Rather, Phantom Costs, and Conspiracy Theories with Andrew Vonasch [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep41-AndyVonasch

    • 1 hr 9 min
    Religion as a Context for Character Development with Sarah Schnitker

    Religion as a Context for Character Development with Sarah Schnitker

    Dr. Sarah Schnitker is a Professor of Psychology and Nueroscience at Baylor University, where she directs the science of virtues lab. She previously researched as an associate professor in the Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller Theological Seminary. As a principle investigator, Sarah has secured more than $3.5 million in research funding through the John Templeton Foundation for a number of projects with various aims, including understanding gratitude towards God and fleshing out a foundation for the scientific study of patience. In this podcast, we discuss her work which focuses on the role of religiosity as a fertile context in which virtue and character develop in adolescents.

    Transcript available at: https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep40-SarahSchnitker

    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2020, September 22).  Religion as a Context for Character Development with Sarah Schnitker [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep40-SarahSchnitker

    • 56 min
    The Arrow of Moral Progress with Steven Pinker

    The Arrow of Moral Progress with Steven Pinker

    Dr. Steven Pinker is a Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He conducts research on a number of topics, including visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. His work has received a number of prestigious prizes, including the Troland Research Prize from the National Academy of Sciences. In addition to his impressive scholarly work, Dr. Pinker has also drawn attention as a public intellectual. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, and has written nine books, including the New York Time best sellers, The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now. In this podcast, we discuss humanism and his popular books, trends of declining violence, and the general state of moral psychology.

    Leave a tip at: https://www.patreon.com/moralscience

    Transcript available at: https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep39-stevenpinker

    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2020, September 8).  The Arrow of Moral Progress with Steven Pinker [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep39-StevenPinker

    • 57 min
    Babies are Judging You with Kiley Hamlin

    Babies are Judging You with Kiley Hamlin

    Dr. J Kiley Hamlin is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the Canadian Research Chair at the University of British Columbia. There she directs the Centre for Infant Cognition, where she examines the developmental origins of moral judgments in preverbal babies and young toddlers. She is the recipient of numerous awards and grants from the Association for Psychological Science, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the John Templeton Foundation, among others. In this episode, we discuss her research which illuminates when and how babies express the earliest forms of a moral sense.

    Paper referenced in this episode: Hamlin, J. K., & Van de Vondervoort, J. W. (2018). Infants’ and young children’s preferences for prosocial over antisocial others. Human Development, 61(4-5), 214-231. https://doi.org/10.1159/000492800

    Transcript available at: https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep38-KileyHamlin

    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2020, August 25).  Babies are Judging You with Kiley Hamlin [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep38-KileyHamlin

    • 49 min
    The Best Leaders are Humble with Bradley Owens

    The Best Leaders are Humble with Bradley Owens

    Dr. Brad Owens is an Associate Professor in the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. There his teaching and research focus on ethical leadership in business. His work examines the impact of humility on leader effectiveness, relational energy, and team functioning, and has received a number of awards and funding from The Academy of Management, as well as the Templeton Foundation. Brad’s work has received wide media coverage, including in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. In this podcast, Brad and I discuss the details of what humility is, how it is often mischaracterized, and its effects for business leaders.

    Transcripts available at: https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep37-BradOwens

    APA citation: Cazzell, A. R. (Host). (2020, August 11).  The Best Leaders are Humble with Bradley Owens [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.ambercazzell.com/post/msp-ep37-BradOwens

    • 48 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

Jetpack Heart ,

Very informative, fantastic guests

This has been an extremely interesting and informative resource for learning about moral psychology. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in getting a grasp of the basic concepts and current debates in the field!

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