Philosophers engaged in the project of metaethics are interested, among other things, in understanding
and explaining the nature of morality as practiced by ordinary folk. What have the studies we have been
looking at tell us about the nature of morality, as it is understood by ordinary people? How are they related
to one another? Do they reveal a largely consistent picture of the nature of morality, or do they instead
show morality to be a variegated, complex, and multifarious human practice that is not amenable to
straightforward or simple analysis?
In this paper, you are asked to reflect broadly on the experimental studies we have looked at thus
far in the course. Your goal is to draw connections and / or contrasts among these studies, and to do so
in a way that presents a narrative. For example, you might look over the studies and notice more than
one broad pattern or more than one point of convergence. Or, you might not find any substantial point
of convergence. Or, you might notice convergence in some aspects of the studies, but divergence in others.
You are free to develop the paper however you‘d like, but be sure to draw widely from the studies
that we’ve already looked at. (You are not required to do any new research.) It will, for example, count
against your paper if you fail to mention an article or a particular study that is highly relevant to the point
you’re trying to make (for example, by providing strong evidence in favor or against it).
Finally, suggest how future research might contribute to our understanding of the nature of
morality. Are there any particular hypotheses that one can generate that would be worth testing? How
might new studies contribute, in specific and concrete ways, to this enterprise?

Length: 2200 words. Please put the word count at the top of the
document. NOTE: There is no need for a long intro paragraph (e.g. “Philosophers since ancient times have
wondered about the nature of morality, and have provided many competing accounts…). Instead, you can
go straight to the body of the paper (e.g. “Recent work has explored how ordinary folk conceive of the
moral domain, yielding a number of intriguing results. For example…. I will argue….”).

Format: Please write single-spaced and in a standard font (e.g. Calibri, Arial, Garamond, Times New Roman)

Citations: Be sure to cite page numbers for specific claims or studies to which you refer. You do not,
however, need to provide a full bibliography. Instead, can cite the paper using the following format:
(Fisher et al, 2016, p.XX).

Spelling and Grammar: Be sure to review the paper before submitting to correct any spelling or
grammatical errors, as these will be part of the evaluation of the paper.