The Moral Psychology of Contempt

Contempt is a cross-cultural emotional response to norm violations, among them moral violations. As such, it is of tremendous personal and social significance. However, philosophical and psychological study of contempt lags far behind that of other emotional responses to norm violations, among them: anger, disgust, and shame. This volume is the first to bring together original work by leading philosophers and psychologists in an examination of the moral psychology of contempt. Its main objective is to at once advance the nascent literature on contempt and set the agenda for future research. The volume addresses important empirical questions concerning contempt’s function; its emotional, cognitive, and behavioral signatures; its interpersonal and intergroup consequences; conceptual questions concerning its content; and prescriptive questions concerning its moral warrant. It will prove a distinctive resource for advanced students and scholars of both empirical and normative moral psychology.