A form of moralism where findings from neuroscience—brain scans, neural correlates, neurotransmitter levels—are used as the basis for moral judgment and social exclusion. The neuroscientific moralist treats having the "wrong" brain structure, the "wrong" neural activity, or the "wrong" neurochemistry as evidence of moral deficiency. Criminal behavior is explained by "bad brains" rather than social conditions; political differences are dismissed as "brain abnormalities"; moral disagreement becomes a matter of neural pathology. Neuroscience, which should increase understanding of human variation, becomes a weapon for pathologizing difference and judging those who don't think or behave as the moralist deems proper. The complexity of human experience is reduced to brain scans, and moral judgment is dressed in the lab coat of science.
Example: "He didn't engage with her political arguments—he just cited a study claiming her brain showed 'reduced activity in moral reasoning areas.' Neuroscientific Moralism: using brain scans to avoid having to think."
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 14, 2026
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