Morals and Markets

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 340; no. 6133; pp. 707 - 711
• Main Authors: Falk, Armin, Szech, Nora
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.05.2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Commerce - ethics; Coupons; Decision Making; Exchange; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Killing; Laboratory animals; laboratory experimentation; Laboratory Experiments; Market conditions; Market prices; Markets; Mice; Miscellaneous; Money; Moral Values; Morality; Morals; Negotiations; Prices; Pricing; Proportions; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rodents; Social interaction; Social psychology; Social sciences; Trade; Willingness to pay; Human; Economic market; Decision making; Value; Cognition; Experimental study; Moral science

The possibility that market interaction may erode moral values is a long-standing, but controversial, hypothesis in the social sciences, ethics, and philosophy. To date, empirical evidence on decay of moral values through market interaction has been scarce. We present controlled experimental evidenc...