Joshua May
Biographic Data
| ID | 3873323 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joshua May |
| GIVEN NAMES | Joshua |
| FAMILY NAME | May |
| SIGNATURE | MAY J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8604-479X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Engaging charitable giving: The motivational force of narrative versus philosophical argument
Are philosophical arguments as effective as narratives in influencing charitable giving and attitudes toward it? In four experiments, we exposed online research participants to either philosophical arguments in favor of charitable giving, a narrative about a child whose life was improved by charitable donations, both the narrative and the argument, or a control text (a passage from a middle school physics text or a description of charitable organ…
Harnessing Moral Psychology to Reduce Meat Consumption
How can we make moral progress on factory farming? Part of the answer lies in human moral psychology. Meat consumption remains high, despite increased awareness of its negative impact on animal welfare. Weakness of will is part of the explanation: acceptance of the ethical arguments does not always motivate changes in dietary habits. However, we draw on scientific evidence to argue that many consumers are not fully convinced that they morally oug…
Moral rationalism on the brain
I draw on neurobiological evidence to defend the rationalist thesis that moral judgments are essentially dependent on reasoning, not emotions (conceived as distinct from inference). The neuroscience reveals that moral cognition arises from domain‐general capacities in the brain for inferring, in particular, the consequences of an agent's action, the agent's intent, and the rules or norms relevant to the context. Although these capacities entangle…
Rational Rules: Towards a Theory of Moral Learning
Analysis of the factors influencing multiple uses of crime guns: An exploratory study
Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science
Which moral exemplars inspire prosociality
Some stories of moral exemplars motivate us to emulate their admirable attitudes and behaviors, but why do some exemplars motivate us more than others? We systematically studied how motivation to emulate is influenced by the similarity between a reader and an exemplar in social or cultural background (Relatability) and how personally costly or demanding the exemplar’s actions are (Attainability). Study 1 found that university students reported mo…
Bias in science: Natural and social
On the very concept of free will
Moral Judgment and Deontology: Empirical Developments
A traditional idea is that moral judgment involves more than calculating the consequences of actions; it also requires an assessment of the agent's intentions, the act's nature, and whether the agent uses another person as a means to her ends. I survey experimental developments suggesting that ordinary people often tacitly reason in terms of such deontological rules. It's now unclear whether we should posit a traditional form of the doctrine of d…
Because I Believe It’s the Right Thing to Do
Because I Believe It’s the Right Thing to Do
On the very concept of free will
Moral Judgment and Deontology: Empirical Developments
A traditional idea is that moral judgment involves more than calculating the consequences of actions; it also requires an assessment of the agent's intentions, the act's nature, and whether the agent uses another person as a means to her ends. I survey experimental developments suggesting that ordinary people often tacitly reason in terms of such deontological rules. It's now unclear whether we should posit a traditional form of the doctrine of d…
Bias in science: Natural and social
Which moral exemplars inspire prosociality
Some stories of moral exemplars motivate us to emulate their admirable attitudes and behaviors, but why do some exemplars motivate us more than others? We systematically studied how motivation to emulate is influenced by the similarity between a reader and an exemplar in social or cultural background (Relatability) and how personally costly or demanding the exemplar’s actions are (Attainability). Study 1 found that university students reported mo…
Harnessing Moral Psychology to Reduce Meat Consumption
How can we make moral progress on factory farming? Part of the answer lies in human moral psychology. Meat consumption remains high, despite increased awareness of its negative impact on animal welfare. Weakness of will is part of the explanation: acceptance of the ethical arguments does not always motivate changes in dietary habits. However, we draw on scientific evidence to argue that many consumers are not fully convinced that they morally oug…
Moral rationalism on the brain
I draw on neurobiological evidence to defend the rationalist thesis that moral judgments are essentially dependent on reasoning, not emotions (conceived as distinct from inference). The neuroscience reveals that moral cognition arises from domain‐general capacities in the brain for inferring, in particular, the consequences of an agent's action, the agent's intent, and the rules or norms relevant to the context. Although these capacities entangle…
Rational Rules: Towards a Theory of Moral Learning
Analysis of the factors influencing multiple uses of crime guns: An exploratory study
Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science
Engaging charitable giving: The motivational force of narrative versus philosophical argument
Are philosophical arguments as effective as narratives in influencing charitable giving and attitudes toward it? In four experiments, we exposed online research participants to either philosophical arguments in favor of charitable giving, a narrative about a child whose life was improved by charitable donations, both the narrative and the argument, or a control text (a passage from a middle school physics text or a description of charitable organ…
Epistemology (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Free Will and Agency (6 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (6 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Political science (3 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (3 works)