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Morality is more than agreement: Negotiating justice, rights, and social inequalities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Audun Dahl Open the ORCID record for Audun Dahl [Opens in a new window]  and
Melanie Killen Open the ORCID record for Melanie Killen [Opens in a new window]
Audun Dahl*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA a.dahl@cornell.edu
Melanie Killen
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA mkillen@umd.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Contractualism is valuable, but morality is not a means to agreements for mutual benefit. Beyond what we expect others to agree to, morality is – by almost any definition – about what we think others ought to agree to. Children, youth, and adults form judgments about social inequalities based on reasoning about rights and justice, whether they expect agreement or not.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e139
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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