Neuroscience of Morality
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this course on the neural basis of moral judgment and behavior, taught within MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences department. The material examines how the brain decides whether an action is wrong, how people choose to act rightly, and when and why groups punish wrongdoers, treating morality as a function of neural mechanisms rather than pure philosophy. Students work through neuroscientific studies and methods applied to moral cognition, covering topics such as moral judgment, empathy, punishment, and the brain regions implicated in ethical decision-making. The course includes MIT's standard OCW materials, such as readings, lecture notes, and assignments, all available at no cost under a Creative Commons license. No certificate is offered, consistent with MIT OpenCourseWare's self-paced, materials-only format.