How Imagination and Memory Shape the Moral Mind

Interdisciplinary research has proposed a multifaceted view of human cognition and morality, establishing that inputs from multiple cognitive and affective processes guide moral judgment and decision-making. However, the extant perspective of moral cognition has largely overlooked the contributions of episodic representation. The ability to remember or imagine a specific moment in time plays a broadly influential role in cognition and behavior. Yet existing research has only just begun to explore the influence of episodic representation on morality. Here, we evaluate the theoretical connections between episodic representation and moral judgment, review emerging empirical work revealing how episodic representation affects moral judgment and decision-making, and conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature and open questions. We argue that a comprehensive model of moral cognition will require including the episodic memory system, further delineating its direct influence on morality and better understanding its’ interactions with other mental processes to fundamentally shape morality.