Moral obligations shape our lives in ways large and small, from how we treat others to how we structure our society. Furthermore, societies with a strong sense of mutual obligation are more resilient to forces of division and better able to tackle shared challenges. In this project, we will investigate the nature of everyday obligation through a multidisciplinary lens and build a community of scholars, thought leaders, and practitioners focused on this topic. Over 18 months, we will execute two empirical investigations examining how people reason about moral obligations in daily life.
In the first study, we will use artificial intelligence to analyze 11 million evaluations of moral dilemmas extracted from the Reddit forum "Am I the Asshole?", in which people solicit feedback from others about everyday moral challenges. A follow-up study using a nationally representative sample will assess the generalizability of our findings, and the results of this investigation will be published in a scientific journal.
In the second study, we will use a statistical technique called topic modeling to map everyday Americans’ beliefs about civic obligations and then create an interactive website where the public can explore how these beliefs vary across geography and demographics. We will publish this second set of findings in a written report.
Finally, we will create an online speaker series that attracts scholars and practitioners to our work, building a cross-disciplinary intellectual community. The speaker series will culminate in an in-person convening of about twenty scholars to share research relating to moral obligation. In addition to advancing scientific understanding of this topic, this project will seek to recenter questions of moral obligation in the public discourse, ultimately contributing to a culture in which people have a stronger sense of connection, trust, and respect.
