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Moral flexibility without mutual benefits: From change to disagreement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Yuhan Fu Open the ORCID record for Yuhan Fu [Opens in a new window]  and
Yifan Mei Open the ORCID record for Yifan Mei [Opens in a new window]
Yuhan Fu
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China fu.philosophy@gmail.com myfnene@gmail.com
Yifan Mei*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China fu.philosophy@gmail.com myfnene@gmail.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Resource-rational contractualism claims that moral flexibility leads to mutually beneficial agreements through renegotiation when new situations arise. We challenge this view using COVID-19 evidence, where moral change leads to persistent disagreement rather than consensus. We demonstrate that three psychological factors – social identity, confirmation bias, and emotional responses – systematically prevent convergence, revealing limitations in the resource-rational contractualism model.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e142
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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