Gods Mind on Morality Flashcards
Western Model of Mind:
> Mind is housed in the brain.
is the origin of all action.
individuals are autonomous and driven by preferences, instinct and goals that originate in the mind.
believe stopping the thought stops the action.
believes if you understand another person mind you understand the person themselves.
intent is worse than the outcome (failed attempt is worse than the outcome).
Cultural Model of the Mind:
> opacity doctrine: belief that the mind is encompassed in a vessel that is not transparent. Therefore, thoughts are private because you will never truly know what someone else is thinking and it would be rude to try.
is rude to make inferences about people mental states.
the focus is on peoples observable actions and outcomes rather than their intent (accidents worse than failed attempts).
*This is problematic because WIERD and WASP samples assume that because children across cultures perform similarly on the theory of mind tasks that the western model of mind is universal. However, it neglects that in adults their moral reasoning leans towards outcomes rather than intent/
How have religious beliefs spread?
> through intergroup contact and can indigenous cultures with a synergy (mix) of traditional and western beliefs.
Christianity has become apart of iTaukei Fijian identity. but they still hold their own traditional views of medicine and spirituality.
The difference in cultural models of mind in traditional Fijian’s and Christian Fijians creates tension between these two groups due to their conflict of moral reasoning, traditions, gods and beliefs.
traditional Fijians feel pressure to assimilate to Christianity views.
their behaviour has changed as they assimilate to more mind-focused beliefs and practices apparent in Christian but surprisingly being reminded of kalu-vu (their god) makes their cultural model of mind more salient.
Indo Fijians:
Are Indian Fijians who were brought to Fiji for manual labour on sugar cane farms.
Do not have a doctrine of opacity in their cultural model of the mind.
Do hold a different cultural model of the mind than westerners (i.e., they differentiate between mental states directed at the self and towards others).
Methods and Results of Study 1:
Free-Listing Interviews
Q: Are Christian gods more concerned about internal states?
Q: Kalou-vu gods perceived to be more concerned about outcomes?
*Researcher was fluent in both English and Fijian.
Predicted that internal states were more salient in Christian moral reasoning and Kalou-vu more focused on ritualistic behaviour and localised impacts.
Results:
Christian gods and police have very similar likes and dislike for obedience, cooperation and honest behaviour.
Kalou-vu cares exclusively about ritualistic behaviours and disliking Christianities disrespect for traditional views and behaviour.
both punish with physical harm and misfortune. however, kathu-vo is unique for their punishment is shame in the village.
Christian gods are widespread damage like natural disasters and kathou-vu is more localized to community issues like violations to opacity doctrine principles.
Methods and Results of Study 2:
Moral Violation Vignettes:
Q: does the invoking of god encourage mentalising?
Q: do people predict that god will make the same judgements they do?
Q: do peoples predictions of gods mind change with their own minds.
- iTaukei Fijians viewed that accidents were more punishable than failed attempts when they were asked about god but this effect disappeared when there was no mention of God.
Christians reminded of god judged failed attempts as worse and more punishable than accidents. when not primed with god they viewed intentional violations as worse overall.
2.
Divine Judgements
For Christians and Indo Fijians as the individuals, intent increased their perceptions of divine judgement of punishment increased as well.
An increase in intention did not influence iTaukei Fijians perceptions of divine judgement did not change.
An increase in a perceived negative outcome increased perceptions of divine punishment in iTukei Fijians.
- asked to think about divine judgment (both Christian and kalou-vu) when primed with thoughts or actions.
Christain god:
> action prime increased perceptions of divine judgement.
> being reminded of thoughts did not increase divine judgement when outcome severity increased.
Kalou-vu god:
> in both thought & action prime more severe outcomes lead to harsher divine punishment perceptions.
> being reminded to think about thoughts, led them to expect God’s punishment to be
less severe for bad outcomes than when reminded of actions (less outcome focuesed).
Conclusion
Despite Christianity and western models of mind being a part of Fijian cultural identities. When engaged in moral reasoning iTaukei maintained local outcome-focused judgments that they believed to reflect divine judgement.
Christian and police believed to share the same moral judgements that reflect divine judgements (=same function).
Kalou-vu restricted to care about localised issues and rituals.
Christian gods are more concerned with intent than indofijians or iTaukei fijians.
the reminder of god does NOT promote mentalising in people with opacity doctrine.
divine judgement mirrors human judgements.
Results suggest cultural/cognitive co-evolution: introduced cultural forms can
spread new cognitive approaches, while Indigenous beliefs can persist as a reflection of local institutions.
