Jonah Lehrer at The Frontal Cortex quotes Jonathan Haidt. Haidt has an interesting perspective on how we make moral judgements.
Moral judgment is like aesthetic judgment. When you see a painting you usually know instantly and automatically whether you like it. If someone asks you to explain your judgment you confabulate…Moral arguments are much the same: Two people feel strongly about an issue, their feelings come first, and their reasons are invented on the fly, to throw at each other.
Again, the suggestion is we’re more rationalising than rational beings.
