Moral Landscapes

Living the life that is good for one to live.

by Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D.

Ten Ways to Truly Respect Motherhood

When my mother was having her children in the 1950s and 1960s, mothers were "knocked out" for childbirth and babies were extracted with forceps and taken away. Such disrespect of mothers, babies and motherhood! Things haven't changed that much... Read More

Killing and the Vicious Imagination

Is Bales a “bad apple” or a prisoner of a system that encourages vicious imagination? Read More

Childism Revisited

Results of last week's Childism poll and more about Young-Bruehl's book, Childism. Read More

Are You a “Childist?" Test Yourself

Elisabeth Young-Bruehl says that the USA is anti-child. Read More

Blurred Moral Vision (The Psychology of Killing – Part 2)

Have you noticed how situations and systems influence your morality? Read More

Babies Are Needy—Does That Bug You?

It’s really important to get straight on what babies need before having one. Read More

The Psychology of Killing and NonKilling

“A United States Army sergeant methodically killed at least 16 civilians, 9 of them children...” A bad apple? Believe it or not, we can each shift into evil thoughts and behavior quite easily. Read More

Slings and Heroes

Mayim Bialik has a new book extolling attachment parenting. Her Ph.D in neuroscience gives her important insights. Here is an additional key to happy and smart children. Read More

Adults Out of Control: The Spread of Stress Reactivity

Concealed weapons laws, self-defensive shooting laws, vigilantism--what's behind the feeling of threat in the air? Read More

Self-Control: (a) Innate, or (b) Dependent on Mom and Dad? (Hint: Choose B)

A recent study shows that non-addict siblings of drug addicts have similar deficits in circuitry for self-control (Ersche et al., 2012). The study has been reported as indicative of inborn capacities for self-control. BIG MISTAKE. It is jumping to a popular but incorrect conclusion (it's in the genes). There is much more evidence for an alternative conclusion. Read More

Parents Should Know the Limitations of Science Experiments

There really aren't any human experiments that can be done to inform you how to parent at any given moment. So what can help with your parenting? Read More

Recovering From “Cry It Out” Parenting as an Adult

Did your parents undercare for you? Did you live in a hostile family environment for emotional expression? I did. My physical, mental and social health were affected and here are some things I did to heal myself. Read More

Dangers of “Crying It Out”

Letting babies “cry it out” is an idea that has been around at least since the behaviorist John Watson applied the mechanistic paradigm of behaviorism to child rearing in 1928, the decade when parents began trusting "science" more than their instincts. Read More

Humans Are Less Violent Than Ever? Than When? And How?

Steven Pinker tells us that humans are less violent than ever. But in his review he leaves off most of human existence. Hobbesian evolutionary psychology strikes again--confusing data and ignoring the past to feel good about today. Read More

Do We Need a Declaration for the Rights of the Baby?

Most recently, a 23-year-old released a video of her judge father beating her at age 16. Such abuse violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Because of the vast mistreatment of babies, I propose that we consider a Declaration for the Rights of the Baby. Here's an initial list for what to include. Read More

Why Continue to Harm Boys from Ignorance of Male Anatomy?

Why does ignorance about male healthcare persist? Read More

What Is the Greatest Danger for an Uncircumcised Boy?

Doctors can cause injury to intact boys during well-child visits. What you should know. Read More

Evolutionary Shockology and Human Nature

How did you get the idea that human nature is violent, evil and selfish? Read More

Circumcision Ethics and Economics

Infant circumcision is an ethical issue that has lifelong effects on the child and societal costs.

No medical association in the world recommends routine infant circumcision. None.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Circumcision says: Read More

Circumcision: Social, Sexual, Psychological Realities

We continue examining myths about circumcision, including traditions, social and sexual relations.

NOTE: Primary author is Lillian Dell'Aquila Cannon, with assistance from Dan Bollinger

Part 3 Read More

More Circumcision Myths You May Believe: Hygiene and STDs

There's a lot of hype about how circumcision is better for a man's health. But it is really? Read More

Myths about Circumcision You Likely Believe

With my first child, I just thought that circumcision was what you did, no big deal, and every man was circumcised. Then one day I saw a picture of a baby being circumcised, and everything changed. Read More

Promoting Thriving in School-Aged Children: A Checklist

Children are designed to grow best from challenging social play outdoors in the rhythms of nature. They build a sense of belonging, competence, autonomy, purpose, as well as trust and understanding of the world. But what can we do when children have to be in school all day? Read More

Where Are the Happy Babies?

I was so glad to meet a happy, confident, socially engaged baby this week. Baby Loren was a stark contrast to most babies--children under 2--that I encounter these days. Most tend to look distracted, unhappy, dazed, and pretty uninterested in others. And their eyes don't glow or communicate understanding like Loren's did. Read More

Breastmilk Wipes Out Formula: Responses to Critical Comments

During Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), my students and I presented a series of blog posts on breastfeeding vs. formula. The information we provided is often shocking for those not previously exposed to it because the (mistaken) baseline assumed by many is 'formula feeding is fine' Read More

In Light of Last Week's Posts: Is Pushing* Formula Evil?

I'm going to be very blunt in hopes that it awakens more people to the dangers of infant formula. Read More

Breastfeeding Resources

Supportive resources and information are available for all families who want to raise their children naturally. Read More

The REAL Truth about Breastfeeding

Many people think that moms can't breastfeed if they work or are on medication. Once again, these misconceptions are a result of a lack of knowledge about breastfeeding. Read More

5 Things You Thought You Knew about Breastfeeding

Salma Hayek breastfed a malnourished infant during her UNICEF trip to Sierra Leone. Are you shocked? Read More

The TREMENDOUS Benefits of Doing What is Normal: Breastfeeding

In accordance with the World Health Organization's recommendations, Gossip Girl's Kelly Rutherford breastfed for over two years! Prolonged breastfeeding provides a baseline of health effects for mom and baby alike. Read More

Darcia Narvaez is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Collaborative for Ethical Education at the University of Notre Dame.

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About Moral Landscapes

I write typically about research findings related to moral functioning and living a good life. Sometimes I muse on things that I puzzle about (politics). I am very concerned about how much our society doesn't seem to know about how to raise good, healthy and happy children, so I spend a great deal of time on parenting. I also write about things that I am working on myself--the endless quest for virtue! This is an opinion blog, not a set of research articles, intended for the public not scientists. For more nuanced and highly referenced work, look at my academic work.