Darcia Narvaez, professor of psychology in the University of Notre Dame鈥檚 and a fellow in the , is one of two winners of the first Expanded Reason Award and will receive the prize, including a substantial monetary award, at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican City on Sept.r 27.
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Narvaez鈥檚 book, "," was chosen from among more than 360 total entries from 170 universities and 30 countries.
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The award was established by University Francisco de Vitoria and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation to recognize innovation in scientific research and academic programs based on Benedict XVI鈥檚 proposal to broaden the horizons of reason. The university and foundation sought academic works that question and explicitly incorporate reflections on the anthropology, epistemology, ethics and meaning that exist within the specific science. Two awards were given for research, and two were given for academic programs.
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"Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom" outlines an evolutionary framework for early childhood experience that is grounded in developmental systems theory, encompassing not only genes but a wide array of inheritances and epigenetic factors. It describes the neurobiological bases for the development of distinctive moral mindsets, addressing ethical functioning at multiple levels of complexity and context before turning to a theory of the emergence of wisdom. Finally, it suggests that we honor the sociocultural orientations of our ancestors and cousins in small-band hunter-gatherer societies 鈥� the norm for 99 percent of human history 鈥� for a re-envisioning of an organic, sustainable moral life, from the way we value and organize child raising to how we cooperate with a living planet.
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The book integrates elements of anthropology, clinical and developmental psychology, and neuroscience to examine the influences in early childhood that help shape a person鈥檚 moral character. Narvaez also received the 2015 William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association for the book.
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鈥淥ur research in the lab examines the evolved developmental niche鈥攖he evolved nest for humans 鈥� whose primary characteristics emerged with social mammals more than 30 million years ago,鈥� Narvaez said. She and her team have published several empirical papers about the effects of the on well-being and morality in children and adults.
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In giving the award, University Francisco de Vitoria and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation seek academic works that question and explicitly incorporate reflections on the anthropology, epistemology, ethics and meaning that exist within the specific science.听Narvaez鈥檚 book was chosen in the research category.
Narvaez, who joined the听听in 2000, has published numerous books and articles on moral cognition, moral development and moral character. She is a co-director of the interdisciplinary听听project and the听. She is the exiting executive editor of the听听and writes the popular听听blog for听Psychology Today.
Originally published at .