The emotional or affective component of moral experience, including feelings like guilt, compassion, indignation, or moral approval. It encompasses the idea that emotions play a crucial role in moral judgment and motivation.
From Latin 'moralis' and Old English 'felan' (to perceive by touch). The concept gained prominence through philosophers like Hume and Smith in the 18th century, who argued against purely rational approaches to ethics.
Adam Smith argued that moral-feeling, not cold reason, is what makes us care about strangers' suffering - it's why we feel sick watching injustice even when it doesn't affect us personally. This challenges the idea that good ethics requires suppressing emotions!
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