Would knowing the neural basis of murder make it any less wrong? (Image: Karen Moskowitz/Getty)
Read more: Special report: Morality put to the test
Understanding how morality is linked to brain function will require us to rethink our justice system, says Martha J. Farah
AS SCIENCE exposes the gears and sprockets of moral cognition, how will it affect our laws and ethical norms?
We have long known that moral character is related to brain function. One remarkable demonstration of this was provided by Phineas Gage, a 19th-century construction foreman injured in an explosion. After a large iron rod was blown…
