Puritanical morality and the scaffolded evolution of self-control

Veit, Walter and Browning, Heather (2023) Puritanical morality and the scaffolded evolution of self-control. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 46, [e319]. (doi:10.1017/S0140525X23000535).

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Abstract

There is a puzzle in reconciling the widespread presence of puritanical norms condemning harmless pleasures with the theory that morality evolved to reap the benefits of cooperation. Here, we draw on the work of several philosophers to support the argument by Fitouchi et al. that these norms evolved to facilitate and scaffold self-control for the sake of cooperation.

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Puritanical Morality and the Scaffolded Evolution of Self-Control - Accepted Manuscript

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e-pub ahead of print date: 4 October 2023

Additional Information: Funding Information: This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement number 101018533).

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