Factor-analytic orthogonality of mind dimensions does not rule out inverse moral perception

Evidence

The moral typecasting hypothesis may seem to conflict, at least on its face, with the observation by Gray et al. (2007) that the mind perception dimensions of Experience and Agency are orthogonal. The orthogonality of these dimensions in factor analysis indicates only that these qualities are separable, however, not that they are necessarily independent. Indeed, a 45° rotation of Gray et al.’s factor solution represents the dimensions of Experience and Agency in a way that is compatible with the moral typecasting hypothesis. In this rotation, the two dimensions include one dimension of general mind perception (whether an entity has a mind, in the sense that it has both Experience and Agency) and a second dimension of Experience versus Agency. Perhaps minds and moral qualities are perceived on dimensions that represent, first, a global degree of mind-having (Dennett, 1996), and second, a dimension of agency versus patiency that corresponds to the inverse relationship of moral agency and moral patiency captured in the moral typecasting hypothesis. — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 31

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains how a 45° rotation reconciles the orthogonal Experience/Agency dimensions with the inverse agency-patiency relationship at the core of moral typecasting.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 31
• XREF: connects to: Perceived moral standing tracks where entities fall on the two mind dimensions. — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 18; Perceived moral agency and perceived moral patiency vary inversely across targets — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 39; Perceived moral agency and perceived patiency may trade off inversely even at extreme levels. — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 59 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Perceived moral agency and perceived moral patiency vary inversely across targets #corroborates (0.93) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 39
• Perceived moral agency and perceived patiency may trade off inversely even at extreme levels. #expands (0.88) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 59
• Perceiving someone as a moral agent reduces perceived moral patiency. #expands (0.87) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 1
• Perceived moral agency uniquely suppresses perceived victimhood, separable from general agency #expands (0.82) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 105