THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORAL CIRCLES

In this chapter, we present the perspective that moral cognition develops in the context of moral circles-boundaries within which people are thought to hold moral obligations toward one another. Moral circles are an early-emerging feature of human cognition, arising from domain-general processes of conceptual development. We review evidence for moral circles in adult cognition and behavior, as well as across childhood, and discuss the consequences of moral circles for children’s judgments and behaviors. We conclude with suggestions as to how research might explore ways of reducing the extent to which children rely on social groups as they navigate the world.