Human moral judgment is increasingly recognized not as a static categorical evaluation of "good" versus "evil," but as a dynamic computational process. This paper introduces the Contextual Moral Valuation (CMV) model, a unified neuro-cognitive framework designed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying moral inconsistency and selective sympathy toward transgressive agents. The CMV model posits that moral evaluation emerges from the weighted integration of reward-based neural signaling (ventral striatum), threat detection (amygdala), executive functional control (vmPFC), and social perspective-taking (TPJ). Central to this framework is the role of psychological distance, which functions as a non-linear scaling parameter that asymmetrically attenuates threat perception while preserving reward saliency. This computational integration gives rise to the Contextual Moral Alignment Paradox (CMAP), wherein an individual may simultaneously condemn and align with the same agent depending on contextual fluctuations. By formalizing this model mathematically and situating it within the broader landscape of moral psychology, we provide a parsimonious explanation for phenomena such as moral disengagement and context-dependent ethical reasoning, while outlining specific empirical trajectories for future neuroscientific research.
Authors: Momen Ghazouani
Publish Year: 2026
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