Presentation given at SPP 2011 in Montreal. On the influence of Third-party intentions on moral judgment.

1. Manipulating
Morality
Third-party intentions alter moral judgment
Jonathan Phillips and Alex Shaw
Yale University

2. Typical moral judgments
Deserves
Blame?

3. Typical moral judgments
Deserves Intentions
Blame?

4. Typical moral judgments
Deserves
Situations Intentions
Blame?

5. Typical moral judgments
Deserves Agent’s
Situations Intention Intentions
Blame?

6. Typical moral judgments
Situational Deserves Agent’s
Situations Constraint Intention Intentions
Blame?

7. A Moral Situation

8. A Moral Situation

9. A Moral Question
Should be blamed for his actions?

10. A Moral Question
Should be blamed for his actions?

11. NE 1110a 4-8
Situational Constraint

12. NE 1110a 4-8
Situational Constraint

13. NE 1110a 4-8
Situational Constraint

14. NE 1110a 4-8
Situational Constraint

15. Another Moral Question
Should be blamed for his actions?

16. Another Moral Question
Should be blamed for his actions?

19. Do third-party intentions
matter?

20. Some reason to think
they shouldn’t

21. Some reason to think
they shouldn’t
• Normative: Irrelevant to whether or not
the agent acted wrongly

22. Some reason to think
they shouldn’t
• Normative: Irrelevant to whether or not
the agent acted wrongly
• Theoretical: Greene & Cohen (2004); Rosen
(2002)

23. Some reason to think
they shouldn’t
• Normative: Irrelevant to whether or not
the agent acted wrongly
• Theoretical: Greene & Cohen (2004); Rosen
(2002)
• Empirical: Lagnado (2008); Brickmann
(1975)

24. Reasons to think they
do matter

25. Reasons to think they
do matter
• Empirical support: Studies 1, 2 &
3

26. Reasons to think they
do matter
• Empirical support: Studies 1, 2 &
3
• Theoretical support:

27. Reasons to think they
do matter
• Empirical support: Studies 1, 2 &
3
•Theoretical support:
• Theoretical proposal

28. Reasons to think they
do matter
• Empirical support: Studies 1, 2 &
3
•Theoretical support:
• Theoretical proposal
• Study 4

29. Study 1: Intentional Condition

30. Study 1: Intentional Condition
Isabel's daughter has a rare disease that requires her to take medication every day, and
Isabel has always been very careful to make sure that her daughter takes her
medicine. While Isabel doesn't know it, her mother-in-law has never liked her and has
come up with a plan to get custody of her daughter by forcing her to steal medicine.
While going through the medicine cabinet, Isabel's mother-in-law intentionally hides
the medication knowing that Isabel won't be able to get any more. The next day,
Isabel realizes that all the medicine is gone and starts to panic. Knowing that her
daughter can't survive without the medicine, she goes to the doctor's office but finds
that it has closed for a holiday. In desperation, she breaks into the doctor's office and
steals the medicine. Because of her theft, another child in town did not get her
medicine and died as a result. When the police start to investigate the crime, they
realize that Isabel's daughter is one of the few children that take that particular
medicine. Eventually the police question Isabel's mother-in-law and she admits that it
was Isabel who stole the medicine. Once Isabel is convicted of the crime, she has to
serve a jail sentence and loses custody of her daughter. Isabel's mother-in-law knew
her plan had worked perfectly, and took custody of her granddaughter while Isabel
was in jail.

31. Study 1: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

32. Study 1: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• Isabel should be blamed for her actions.

33. Study 1: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• Isabel should be blamed for her actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

34. Study 1: Accidental Condition
Isabel's daughter has a rare disease that requires her to take medication every day, and
Isabel has always been very careful to make sure that her daughter takes her
medicine. While Isabel doesn't know it, her mother-in-law has never realized that
her granddaughter needs this medicine to survive. While going through the
medicine cabinet, Isabel's mother-in-law accidentally hides the medication without
knowing that Isabel won't be able to get any more. The next day, Isabel realizes that
all the medicine is gone and starts to panic. Knowing that her daughter can't survive
without the medicine, she goes to the doctor's office but finds that it has closed for a
holiday. In desperation, she breaks into the doctor's office and steals the medicine.
Because of her theft, another child in town did not get her medicine and died as a
result. When the police start to investigate the crime, they realize that Isabel's
daughter is one of the few children that take that particular medicine. Eventually the
police question Isabel's mother-in-law and she admits that it was Isabel who stole the
medicine. Once Isabel is convicted of the crime, she has to serve a jail sentence and
loses custody of her daughter. Isabel's mother-in-law had not known this would
happen at all, and took custody of her granddaughter while Isabel was in jail.

35. Study 1: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• Isabel should be blamed for her actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

36. Results
Agent Blame
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t(58) = 2.44 , p = .018.

37. Study 2

38. Study 2
I’d kill for some
food right
now!

39. Study 2: Intentional Condition

40. Study 2: Intentional Condition
In the 1960s, the government of a small Eastern European country plotted to
secretly start a war, using industrial workers, and get revenge on a neighboring
country. For the first part of their plan, the government intentionally destroyed
farm machinery and set fire to several food stores on purpose. As a result, there
was a serious lack of food in the country. Soon the people living in the city
couldn't get enough food to feed themselves. The whole city shut down, crime
skyrocketed and a small but violent uprising broke out.
The government knew their plan was working perfectly. Right at that time, a
group of industrial workers heard on the government news channel that a
neighboring village had a surplus of food. After hearing the news, the group of
industrial workers raided the small village on the country's border, stealing
food from the farmers and killing innocent people. The government had known
this would happen all along and felt great about their successful plan.

41. Study 2: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The workers should be blamed for their
actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

42. Study 2: Accidental Condition
In the 1960s, the government of a small Eastern European country planned to
start a new economic program, using industrial workers, to increase the
country's wealth. While it wasn't part of their plan, the government
accidentally destroyed farm machinery and set fire to several food stores by
mistake. As a result, there was a serious lack of food the country. Soon the
people living in the city couldn't get enough food to feed themselves. The
whole city shut down, crime skyrocketed and a small but violent uprising broke
out.
The government knew their plan wasn't working at all. Right at that time, a
group of industrial workers heard on the government news channel that a
neighboring village had a surplus of food. After hearing the news, the group of
industrial workers raided the small village on the country's border, stealing food
from the farmers and killing innocent people. The government had not known
this would happen and felt terrible about their unsuccessful plan.

43. Study 2: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The workers should be blamed for their
actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

44. Study 2: Results
Agent Blame
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t(36) = 3.47, p = .001

45. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations

46. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations
Third-party mental states influence moral
judgment....

47. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations
Third-party mental states influence moral
judgment....
....through implicit comparisons of
immoral acts

48. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations

49. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations
Third-party mental states influence moral
judgment...

50. Studies 1 & 2: Boring
Explanations
Third-party mental states influence moral
judgment...
....through seeing the agent as a
manipulated victim

51. Study 3

52. Study 3
I want to make
sure they attack
village A!

53. Study 3
I want to make
sure they attack
village A! We’d kill for
Village A’s food
right now!

54. Study 3
I want to make
sure they attack We’d kill for
village A! Village B’s food
right now!

55. Study 3: Intention-Consistent

56. Study 3: Intention-Consistent
In the 1960's the government of a small Eastern European country plotted to
secretly start a war using industrial workers, in order to get revenge on the
wealthy citizens of the Shaki village. For the first part of their plan, the
government intentionally destroyed farm machinery and set fire to several food
stores on purpose. As a result, there was a serious lack of food in the country.
Soon the people living in the city couldn't get enough food to feed themselves.
The whole city shut down, crime skyrocketed and a small but violent uprising
broke out.
The government knew their plan was working perfectly. Right at that time, a
group of industrial workers heard through the government news channel that
the Shaki village had a surplus of food. After hearing the news, the group of
industrial workers raided the Shaki village, stealing food from the farmers and
killing innocent people. The government had known this would happen all
along and it was exactly what they planned.

57. Study 3: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The workers should be blamed for their
actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

58. Study 3: Intention-Deviant
In the 1960's the government of a small Eastern European country plotted to
secretly start a war using industrial workers, in order to get revenge on the
wealthy citizens of the Shaki village. For the first part of their plan, the
government intentionally destroyed farm machinery and set fire to several food
stores on purpose. As a result, there was a serious lack of food in the country.
Soon the people living in the city couldn't get enough food to feed themselves.
The whole city shut down, crime skyrocketed and a small but violent uprising
broke out.
The government knew their plan was working perfectly. Right at that time, a
group of industrial workers heard through the government news channel that
the Shaki village had a surplus of food. After hearing the news, the group of
industrial workers raided a village on the opposite side of the small country
called the Nobi village, stealing food from the farmers in that village and
killing innocent people. The government had not known this would happen at
all and it wasn't what they planned.

59. Study 3: DV
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The workers should be blamed for their
actions.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

60. Study 3: Results
Agent Blame
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Consistent
Deviant
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t(48) = 2.473, p = .017

61. Study 3: Discussion

62. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts

63. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts

64. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts
• Merely seeing the agent as a victim

65. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts
• Merely seeing the agent as a victim

66. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts
• Merely seeing the agent as a victim
• Third-party intentions influence moral
judgment in an interesting way

67. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts
• Merely seeing the agent as a victim
• Third-party intentions influence moral
judgment in an interesting way

68. Study 3: Discussion
• Contrast effects of immoral acts
• Merely seeing the agent as a victim
• Third-party intentions influence moral
judgment in an interesting way
• Specifically, the content of the third-party’s
intention is important

69. So why would the content of the
third-party intention be
important?

70. Proposal

71. Proposal
The content of the third-party intention can
change how we see the situation by giving it a
teleological structure

72. Proposal
The content of the third-party intention can
change how we see the situation by giving it a
teleological structure
(Lombrozo & Carey 2006;
Keleman & Rosset 2009)

73. Intention-Consistent
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Causal Structure

74. Intention-Consistent
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

75. Intention-Consistent
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

76. Intention-Consistent
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

77. Intention-Consistent
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

78. Intention-Consistent
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

79. So what’s important about a
situation’s teleological structure?
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal-Teleological Structure

80. Intention-Deviant
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

81. Intention-Deviant
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

82. Intention-Deviant
Intentional Structure
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal Structure

83. Intention-Deviant
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal-Teleological Structure

84. Intention-Deviant
Govern- Crops News Workers Villagers
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Causal-Teleological Structure

85. Proposal
• When the third-party’s intention matches
the outcome of the events, it orders the
perceived causal chain teleologically
• But when the intention doesn’t match, the
perceived causal chain lacks this teleological
structure

86. Empirical Test

87. Empirical Test
If this theory is right, then we should also
expect to see differences in...

88. Empirical Test
If this theory is right, then we should also
expect to see differences in...
• ... who caused the outcome

89. Empirical Test
If this theory is right, then we should also
expect to see differences in...
• ... who caused the outcome
• ... whether the agent had to bring
about the outcome

90. Empirical Test
If this theory is right, then we should also
expect to see differences in...
• ... who caused the outcome
• ... whether the agent had to bring
about the outcome
• ...whether the agent acted freely

91. Study 4
I want to make
sure they attack We’d kill for
village A! We’d kill for Village B’s food
Village A’s food right now!
right now!

92. Study 4: Replication
Agent Blame
t(62) = 2.56, p = .013

93. Study 4: Causation
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The government caused the attack on the
village.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

94. Study 4: Causation
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Cause: t(62) = 2.55, p = .013

95. Study 4: ‘Had to’
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The workers had to attack the village.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

96. Study 4: ‘Had to’
Had to: t(62) = 2.82, p = .006

97. Study 4: Freedom
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The government forced the workers to
attack the village.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

98. Study 4: Freedom
Force: t(62) = 4.13, p < .001

99. Intention-Consistent
Vs.
Intention-Deviant

100. Intention-Consistent
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Vs.
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Intention-Deviant

101. But why would this influence
moral responsibility of the
agent?

102. But why would this influence
moral responsibility of the
agent?
If your action was caused,
then you aren’t morally
responsible for it.

103. Alternative Hypothesis: The
Conservation of Blame

104. Alternative Hypothesis: The
Conservation of Blame
‘The more you blame the government,
the less you blame the workers’

105. Alternative Hypothesis: The
Conservation of Blame
‘The more you blame the government,
the less you blame the workers’
0

106. Alternative Hypothesis: The
Conservation of Blame
‘The more you blame the government,
the less you blame the workers’
0

107. Supporting Evidence
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
• The government should be blamed for the
the attack on the village.
Strongly Strongly
In Between
Disagree Agree

108. Supporting Evidence
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Government Blame: t(62) = 2.75, p = .01

109. How to decide?

110. How to decide?
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Causal-Teleological
Structure

111. How to decide?
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Causal-Teleological
Structure vs

112. How to decide?
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Govern-
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Causal-Teleological
Structure vs Conservation
of Blame

113. Evidence for causal
structure
? ?
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency
vs.
Deviation ?
Workers Blamed

114. Evidence for causal
structure
? ?
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency β= .309, p = .013
vs.
Deviation
Workers Blamed

115. Evidence for causal
structure
= .013
p
.3 08,
β= ?
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency β= .309, p = .013
vs.
Deviation
Workers Blamed

116. Evidence for causal
structure
β=
.333,
= .013 p=
p
08, .00
β= .3 7
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency β= .309, p = .013
vs.
Deviation
Workers Blamed

117. Evidence for causal
structure
β=
.333,
= .013 p=
p
08, .00
β= .3 7
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency β= .309, p = .013
vs.
Deviation β= .229, ns
Workers Blamed

118. Evidence for
conservation of blame?
Intention
Consistency
vs.
β= .309, p = .013
Deviation
? ? Workers Blamed
Government
Blamed

119. Evidence for
conservation of blame?
Intention
Consistency
vs.
β= .309, p = .013
Deviation
β=
. 36
9, p
? Workers Blamed
=.
00
3
Government
Blamed

120. Evidence for
conservation of blame?
Intention
Consistency
vs.
β= .309, p = .013
Deviation
β=
. 36
9, p s Workers Blamed
=. 8, n
00 .15
3 β=
Government
Blamed

121. Evidence for
conservation of blame?
Intention β= .290, p = .030
Consistency
vs.
β= .309, p = .013
Deviation
β=
. 36
9, p s Workers Blamed
=. 8, n
00 .15
3 β=
Government
Blamed

122. Some evidence...
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency
vs.
Deviation
Workers
Blamed
Government
Blamed

123. Some evidence...
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency
vs.
Deviation
Workers
Blamed
Government
Blamed

124. Some evidence...
Government
Intention Caused
Consistency
vs.
Deviation
Workers
Blamed
Government
Blamed

125. Moral Judgment
Deserves
Blame?

126. Moral Judgment
Situational Deserves Agent’s
Situations Constraint Intention Intentions
Blame?

127. Moral Judgment
Third-party
Situational Deserves Agent’s
Situations Constraint Intention Intentions
Blame?

128. Thanks!
Yale Experimental Philosophy Lab
Yale Mind and Development Lab

129. Study 1b: Replication
Sarah
Kate

130. Study 1b: Replication
I want to make
sure she gets
caught cheating!
Sarah
Kate

131. Study 1b: Replication
I feel really bad
about ruining
her computer...
Sarah
Kate

132. Study 1b: Replication
I want
to win the
scholarship!
Sarah
Kate

133. Replication Results
Agent Blame
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t(54) = 2.65, p = .011