Problem
After reading the essay "The Moral Instinct" by Steven Pinker, answer the following questions in a paragraph or two each, numbering each response:
A. Pinker's essay, published for a general American readership, incorporates the work of scholars and scientists. What techniques does he use to create interest in the question of moral judgments for general readers?
B. Where does Pinker "translate" academic research into common language - and where doesn't he? Try to formulate the principle he uses for retaining philosophical language - or not.
C. Near the center of the essay is a section titled "A Universal Morality?" Does Pinker believe that morality is universal, or does he question this concept? How does the remainder of his essay clarify his position?
D. Pinker's essay was published without footnotes, yet it clearly credits the work of many other philosophers and researchers. Choose one reference to another person's scholarly work, find the article on which it is based, and write brief discussion of how Pinker paraphrases and/or cites the work. You might consider whether Pinker describes the work accurately or whether he oversimplifies or distorts it.