Drawing on converging evidence from neuroscience, social science, biology, law, and philosophy, Moral Markets makes the case that modern market exchange works only because most people, most of the time, act virtuously. --from publisher description

Like nature itself, modern economic life is driven by relentless competition and unbridled selfishness. Or is it? Drawing on converging evidence from neuroscience, social science, biology, law, and philosophy, Moral Markets makes the case that modern market exchange works only because most...

This chapter will survey neuroscientific research and discuss recent experiments from my lab on the physiologic basis for interpersonal decision-making to support the follow thesis: most people, most of the time, behave ethically, and that a set of shared values is essential to the functioning...

Is there a biological basis for morality? This talk will survey recent studies from my lab that are characterizing the role of oxytocin in producing a variety of moral behaviors. Using a neuroeconomics paradigm to measure virtue in vice in the laboratory, oxytocin is implicated in the virtues of...

Main description: Like nature itself, modern economic life is driven by relentless competition and unbridled selfishness. Or is it? Drawing on converging evidence from neuroscience, social science, biology, law, and philosophy, Moral Markets makes the case that modern market exchange works only...

This book calls into question the commonly held view of the economy as being dominated by greed and selfishness. The cartoon of greed is good is nearly ubiquitous in Western countries, and is often more strongly accepted in less developed nations. Yet, this pervasive belief is inconsistent with...