Babies, even just a few months old, can indeed demonstrate the ability to judge a person's character.
Research, such as that cited by Paul Bloom, indicates that infants as young as a few months old can distinguish between "good" and "bad" actions and show a preference for individuals exhibiting prosocial behavior. This is often demonstrated in puppet shows where babies will consistently choose the puppet that helped another puppet versus the puppet that hindered it. This shows an early moral sense developing in babies.
Here's what the research generally suggests:
- Early Moral Understanding: Infants aren't born as blank slates. They possess a nascent understanding of morality.
- Puppet Show Experiments: Classic experiments involve puppet shows where one puppet helps another up a hill, and another puppet pushes the first puppet down. Babies overwhelmingly prefer the "helper" puppet.
- Character Judgment: Babies can differentiate between helpful and harmful actions, exhibiting a preference for those who display kindness and cooperation.
- Limited Understanding: It's important to note that babies' understanding of "good" and "bad" is still very basic. They are not making complex moral calculations, but rather responding to simple acts of helping and hindering.
- Preference, Not Discernment of Internal Character: It is more accurate to state that babies demonstrate a preference for individuals exhibiting prosocial behavior rather than the ability to definitively "see" if a person is good. Their judgment is based on observed actions, not inferred internal character traits.
In conclusion, while babies don't possess the cognitive capacity for sophisticated moral reasoning, research suggests they can distinguish between helpful and unhelpful actions, and show a preference for "good" behavior, suggesting they have an early sense of morality. They are demonstrating a preference based on observed actions, not a deep understanding of internal character.
