The Moral Sword

Why do we hurt people in the name of morality? Here we elaborate on the theory that moral judgment is an evolutionary strategy for choosing sides in conflicts. Hurting wrongdoers is part of the strategy. Morality may seem like a guiding light for cooperation, but it is actually closely tied to aggression. As a result, moral condemnation is not always good: It is a gamble that risks punishing the innocent and inflaming hostilities between factions. These dangers are obscured by confusing morality with benevolence. Thus, we examine how moral judgment fundamentally differs from benevolence and goodness. The argument appeals to evolutionary psychology, moral psychology, and what we will call the method of natural language. Accordingly, we will minimize jargon and scholarly accounting to address a general audience across the many disciplines concerned with morality. The final section provides a concise review of the essential literatures for further reading.