Editor's Summary
14 June 2007
Disgust discussed
At the borders of moral philosophy and neuropsychology researchers are trying to understand how the emotional underpinnings to our feelings of right and wrong evolved. A particularly powerful member of this set of emotions is disgust; the 'yuck factor' can underlie moral sentiments on subjects as diverse as homosexuality and research on hybrid embryos. How did disgust become part of our moral framework — and is the role it plays constructive, or viscerally reactionary?
News Feature: Moral psychology: The depths of disgust
Is there wisdom to be found in repugnance? Or is disgust 'the nastiest of all emotions', offering nothing but support to prejudice? Dan Jones looks at the repellant side of human nature.
doi:10.1038/447768a