Just Thinking About Science Triggers Moral Behavior

ananyo writes "The association between science and morality is so ingrained that merely thinking about it can trigger more moral behavior, according to a study by researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara. The researchers hypothesized that there is a deep-seated perception of science as a moral pursuit — its emphasis on truth-seeking, impartiality and rationality privileges collective well-being above all else. The researchers conducted four separate studies to test this. In the first, participants read a vignette of a date-rape and were asked to rate the 'wrongness' of the offense before answering a questionnaire measuring their belief in science. Those reporting greater belief in science condemned the act more harshly. In the other three, participants primed with science-related words were more altruistic."

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Political correlation

[femtobyte]

A likely correlative effect: those who "believe" more in science are, on average, people less influenced by the hyper-misogynistic and "fuck you I've got mine" narratives of the US right-wing (proclaimed alongside the anti-intellectual, anti-scientific propaganda of the same groups). The less time you spend watching Fox News and listening to Rush Limbaugh, the more likely you are to be both more "scientifically-minded" and less a fan of rape. Scientific rationality and "humanist" motivations have become indelibly tied together in the general public's mind thanks to the right wing propaganda machine's persistent war against both.