Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Vol 45(3), Aug 2025, 211-228; doi:10.1037/teo0000284
This article explores the relationship between moral psychology and international contract law within the context of the universal moral grammar (UMG) theory. Drawing on Carchidi’s idea that the UMG theory usefully conceptualizes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I propose that UMG can also provide the conceptual basis for principles of reciprocity encapsulated within international contract law. In particular, UMG can provide the theoretical framework for explaining the adoption of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods across a wide array of cultural backgrounds. In this respect, both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods can be viewed as sources of empirical evidence in favor of the UMG theory, suggesting that the moral judgments which underlie the creation of such documents are grounded in an innate moral faculty. This line of argument holds wider implications for moral psychology by countering Prinz’s empiricist assertion that there are no universally shared harm and reciprocity principles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)