2008-05-08 Your Brain on Ethics

2008-05-08 \ethics\human nature Greg Miller ScienceNOW http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/508/1 Your Brain on Ethics &ldquo;The insula, a brain region linked to processing emotion, became more active when subjects considered more inequitable distributions of meals; it was also more active in subjects whose choices suggested a greater-than-average aversion to inequity. Activity in another region, the putamen, seemed to track the common good, rising in proportion to the total number of meals that could be donated in a given case.&rdquo;  The insula, a brain region linked to processing emotion, became more active when subjects considered more inequitable distributions of meals; it was also more active in subjects whose choices suggested a greater-than-average aversion to inequity. Activity in another region, the putamen, seemed to track the common good, rising in proportion to the total number of meals that could be donated in a given case. Original article requires paid subscription.

Reporting:   
 * 2008-05-10 Justice In The Brain: Equity And Efficiency Are Encoded Differently (ScienceDaily)
 * 2008-05-18 Moral choice: fairness, utility, and the insula (Science and Reason blog)