The Tripartite Theory of Machiavellian Morality: Judgment, Influence, and Conscience as Distinct Moral Adaptations

Abstract

Morality encompasses complex, multidimensional phenomena spanning diverse content areas. In this chapter, we propose a tripartite theory of Machiavellian morality in which moral judgment, moral influence, and moral conscience are functionally distinct moral adaptations. Moral judgment is an adaptation designed to determine how exploitative or benefit-bestowing a conspecific is and to use that information when choosing relationship partners. Moral influence is designed to identify the most cost-effective means of altering the future behavior of others to be less cost-inflicting and more benefit-bestowing. Moral conscience is an adaptation designed to guide one’s own behavior toward others to strategically avoid ramifications from other’s moral judgment and influence mechanisms. Two examples, sexual infidelity and property theft, are used to illustrate the application of a tripartite framework of Machiavellian morality. Finally, we discuss the potential for this framework to clarify the ambiguity within morality literature and to refocus attention on novel areas of research.