International Norms, Moral Psychology, and Neuroscience

by Richard Price, Kathryn Sikkink

Overview

Research on international norms has yet to answer satisfactorily some of our own most important questions about the origins of norms and the conditions under which some norms win out over others. The authors argue that international relations (IR) theorists should engage more with research in moral psychology and neuroscience to advance theories of norm emergence and resonance. This Element first provides an overview of six areas of research in neuroscience and moral psychology that hold particular promise for norms theorists and international relations theory more generally. It next surveys existing literature in IR to see how literature from moral psychology is already being put to use, and then recommends a research agenda for norms researchers engaging with this literature. The authors do not believe that this exchange should be a one-way street, however, and they discuss various ways in which the IR literature on norms may be of interest and of use to moral psychologists, and of use to advocacy communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108965972
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/19/2021
Series:	Elements in International Relations
Pages:	75
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

The writer Richard Price, who grew up in the Bronx projects, is known for his gritty novels of urban life (Lush Life and others), as well as his hit Hollywood screenplays, including The Color of Money and Clockers. In 1999, he received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also shared a 2007 Edgar® Award as a co-writer of HBO’s miniseries The Wire.

Hometown:

New York, New York

Date of Birth:

October 12, 1949

Place of Birth:

Bronx, New York

Education:

B.A., Cornell University, 1971; M.F.A., Columbia University

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Definitions and methodological issues; 3. Overview of relevant theory and findings from the Neuroscience and Psychology of moral intuitions and reason; 4. Relevant IR norms research incorporating findings from Psychology and Neuroscience; 5. Prescriptions for research: Toward a new research agenda; 6. Prescriptions for advocacy; 7. Conclusions.