“A moral code can be thought of as the taxonomy of sanctioned actions and behavior. The pre frontal cortex is the associated cortex of the frontal lobes, ‘the action lobes … ‘ Could it then be that, by analogy, the prefrontal cortex contains the taxonomy of all the sanctioned moral actions and behavior? And could it be, just as damage or maldevelopment of the posterior association cortex produces object agnosias so does damage or development of the prefrontal cortex produce, in that sense moral agnosia?” – Elkhonom Goldberg, The Executive Brain, pp. 142
In recent years, there has been a burgeoning research on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying moral judgment and an increased understanding of the multiple neurophysiologic systems involved in moral and immoral conduct. The focus of this paper will primarily be on the brain mechanisms that underline most moral action. I will initially provide the human context in which these neurological symptoms generate behavior. That is, I will briefly outline the evolutionary constraints, along with the basic emotions and cognitive processes considered to be intimately associated with moral actions and reactions. I will briefly consider the psychosocial contributions that must be considered in order to fully appreciate the neuropsychology of morality. Lastly, I will discuss some of the important neuropsychological implications of this research of on the neuroscience of morality.