The spectrum of human morality has driven the development of social systems and the evolution of civilization. Although the standard for morality deviates across time and culture, there have always been those that rigorously adhere to social conventions at the expense of their own well-being, and those that have no problem defying conventions if it is to their own benefit. In prose, poetry, and religion this dynamic entanglement between saint and sadist has set the stage for the battle between good and evil, which assumes the existence of free will. Insights from neuroscience highlight the highway between two destinations in the brain that guide moral action; the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the amygdala.
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