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Evolution and Personality [1]
Evolution and Personality [1] James Gibson Hume (1922) Classics in the History of Psychology An internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green , ISSN 1492-3173 (Return to C lassics i ndex ) Evolution and Personality [1] James Gibson Hume (1922) First published in Philosophical Essays Presented to John Watson (pp. 298-330). : Queen's University.[*] Posted October 2001 Spencer in his Data of Ethics treated his subject from several successive standpoints entitled, The Physical, The Biological, The Psychological, the Sociological. He also attempted to co-ordinate all these various stages into what he termed a Synthetic Philosophy. This would give a fifth standpoint, the Philosophical. These five terms might be used to describe several different types of evolutionary theory. Let us note how these arose, that is, let us trace the evolution of evolutionary theory. Physical Evolution. Early Greek speculation was dominated by this standpoint which found its culmination in the Atomists. Among these Empedocles is noteworthy. He is quoted in the article 'Evolution' in the Encyclopaedia Britannica by J. Sully and T. H. Huxley. After a general Cosmology dealing with the formation of the Cosmos from the four original elements, fire, air, earth, water, by love and discord (attraction and repulsion) he proceeds to treat of the first origin of plants and of animals including man. As the original elements entered into various combinations there arose curious aggregates, heads without [p. 299] necks, arms without shoulders. These got strangely combined. Men's heads on oxen's shoulders, heads of .oxen on men's bodies, etc. Most of these combinations could not survive and so disappeared. -
Evolution and Ethics 2
It is still disputed, however, why moral behavior extends beyond a close circle of kin and reciprocal relationships: e.g., most people think stealing from anyone is wrong, not just stealing from family and friends. For moral behavior to evolve as we understand it today, there likely had to be selective pressures that pushed people to disregard their own 1000wordphilosophy.com/2018/10/11/evolution- interests in favor of their group’s interest.[3] Exactly and-ethics/ how morality extended beyond this close circle is debated, with many theories under consideration.[4] Evolution and Ethics 2. What Should We Do? Author: Michael Klenk Suppose our ability to understand and apply moral Category: Ethics, Philosophy of Science rules, as typically understood, can be explained by Word Count: 999 natural selection. Does evolution explain which rules We often follow what are considered basic moral we should follow?[5] rules: don’t steal, don’t lie, help others when we can. Some answer, “yes!” “Greed captures the essence of But why do we follow these rules, or any rules the evolutionary spirit,” says the fictional character understood as “moral rules”? Does evolution explain Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film Wall Street: “Greed why? If so, does evolution have implications for … is good. Greed is right.”[6] which rules we should follow, and whether we genuinely know this? Gekko’s claims about what is good and right and what we ought to be comes from what he thinks we This essay explores the relations between evolution naturally are: we are greedy, so we ought to be and morality, including evolution’s potential greedy. -
Sociobiology and the Origins of Ethics
SOCIOBIOLOGY AND THE ORIGINS OF ETHICS JULIO MUÑOZ-RUBIO ABSTRACT. According to sociobiology, ethics is an offspring of natural selection and totally explicable through biology. According to this discipline, any indi- vidual has reproduction as its supreme life objective, and thus ethical principles are directly originated from such objective. This criterion subordinates choice to “natural” duties and eradicates the power of human free will to generate values. Sociobiology falls into the natural fallacy as it assumes that a moral “duty” derived from a particular behavior is justified by the same existence of such behavior. This paper sustains that humans are qualitative different from the rest of animals since they exist in spheres afar from strict biological ones; sociobiology subjugates human freedom to the necessity realm and build up an ideological discourse. KEY WORDS. Ethics, evolutionary theory, ideology, naturalist fallacy, sociobi- ology, survival, liberty, necessity, dearth, free will. INTRODUCTION Sociobiological theory deals with animal species that are “social”, that is, they form groups, develop a certain division of labor, and cooperate in order to survive in the struggle for existence. For this reason, these species appear from the start as if they were endowed with moral attributes. “Social” animals possess qualities comparable to human beings not only insofar they are born and die, develop, reproduce, become ill, nor since they relate to other beings of the same and even of other species, but because, as they perform all these various functions in their peculiar ways, they exhibit emotional and behavioral patterns curiously akin to those of human beings. One of the main sources of sociobiology is Darwinist theory which, upon refuting creationism and affirming the principle of continuity in the evolution of species, denies the existence of overall qualitative differences between human beings and higher animals (Darwin 1981, Part I, p. -
Moral Implications of Darwinian Evolution for Human Reference
Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2006 Moral Implications of Darwinian Evolution for Human Reference Based in Christian Ethics: a Critical Analysis and Response to the "Moral Individualism" of James Rachels Stephen Bauer Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Evolution Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Bauer, Stephen, "Moral Implications of Darwinian Evolution for Human Reference Based in Christian Ethics: a Critical Analysis and Response to the "Moral Individualism" of James Rachels" (2006). Dissertations. 16. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/16 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF DARWINIAN EVOLUTION FOR HUMAN PREFERENCE BASED IN CHRISTIAN ETHICS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND RESPONSE TO THE “MORAL INDIVIDUALISM” OF JAMES RACHELS A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Stephen Bauer November 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3248152 Copyright 2006 by Bauer, Stephen All rights reserved. -
The Ethics of Charles Darwin
teorema Vol. XXVIII/2, 2009, pp. 123-133 [BIBLID 0210-1602 (2009) 28:2; pp. 123-133] ‘The Social Instincts Naturally Lead to the Golden Rule’: The Ethics of Charles Darwin John Mizzoni […] the social instincts […] with the aid of active intellectual powers and the effects of habit, naturally lead to the golden rule, “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye to them likewise;” and this lies at the foundation of morality. [DARWIN, The Descent of Man (1871), p. 71] RESUMEN En The Descent of Man, Darwin discute una gran variedad de problemas éticos de manera exclusiva, dice él, desde la perspectiva de la historia natural. Intentando situar los puntos de vista de Darwin sobre la evolución y la ética dentro de las discusiones contemporáneas sobre filosofía moral reviso, en primer lugar, cómo el enfoque que Darwin hace de la evolución y la ética encaja en la metaética contemporánea, especialmente con cuatro teorías de tales como la del error, el expresi- vismo, el relativismo y el realismo. PALABRAS CLAVE: Darwin, metaética, teoría del error, expresivismo, relativismo moral, realismo moral. ABSTRACT In the The Descent of Man, Darwin discusses a wide variety of ethical issues, exclusively, he says, from the perspective of natural history. As an attempt to situate Darwin’s views on evolution and ethics into contemporary discussions of moral theory, in this paper I first look at how Darwin’s approach to evolution and ethics fits in with contemporary metaethical theory, specifically the four theories of error theory, expressivism, relativism, and realism. KEYWORDS: Darwin, metaethics, error theory, expressivism, moral relativism, moral realism. -
In Defense of Herbert Spencer
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 CONTROVERSY In Defense of Herbert Spencer ✦ MAX HOCUTT n 1978, Liberty Fund published nineteenth-century intellectual giant Herbert Spencer’s Principles of Ethics in two volumes, with an introduction by Tibor R. IMachan. Spencer’s magnificent tome is full of wisdom and will be read with profit for generations. Machan’s brief introduction is more questionable. Calling it “Herbert Spencer: A Century Later,” Machan begins with some biographical details. -
Evolutionary Psychology in the Service of Moral Psychology: a Possible Future for Ethics William S
Skidmore College Creative Matter Philosophy Faculty Scholarship Philosophy Department 2011 Evolutionary Psychology in the Service of Moral Psychology: A Possible Future for Ethics William S. Lewis Skidmore College Follow this and additional works at: https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/phil_rel_fac_schol Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Lewis, W. S. (2011). Evolutionary Psychology in the Service of Moral Philosophy: A Possible Future for Ethics?. Journal Of Speculative Philosophy, 25(1), 48-63. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Philosophy Department at Creative Matter. It has been accepted for inclusion in Philosophy Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Creative Matter. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Evolutionary Psychology in the Service of Moral Philosophy, A Possible Future for Ethics? William S. Lewis Skidmore College Draft of “Evolutionary Psychology in the Service of Moral Psychology: A Possible Future for Ethics.” Journal of Speculative Philosophy Vol. 25, No. 1 (2011): 48-63. “Someone may ask, “What is the difference, then, between moral philosophy and moral psychology?” The answer may be that there is no interesting difference and that the issue is of interest only to university administrators.”1 In “The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life (1891),” William James provides a rough taxonomy of the state of ethical philosophy at the time that he is writing. Making a division between psychological approaches that identify the good with the feeling of pleasure derived by a naturally evolved organism and metaphysical approaches which hold that the good is conceptual, James argues that both are equally goods and that they each imply similar obligation. -
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Introduction The Evolution of Ethics constructs a conceptual bridge between biology and human behavior. This is accomplished by examining the cultural and biological feedback systems that inspire the evolution of social rules. In theory, a cybernetic process is at the heart of developing ethical systems. This process occurs when biology and culture collide. The resulting conflict acts as a form of “informational feedback,” telling people that there are serious problems that need to be resolved. Conflict inspires human adaptation in a way that could extend the survival of the species. In this sense, the evolution of ethical systems is a response to the drive of the human species to survive. Additionally, a whole array of related, “rule systems,” such as statutory laws, professional codes, customs, and even the rules of etiquette evolve to advance human adaptation. Ethical systems are reasoned rules of conduct that are based on past experience, whereas moral laws (informally known) evolve over centuries of time and are many times influenced and expressed by human emotions. Science and Cybernetic Ethics Cybernetic ethics is a merging of science with ethics. This book presents a persuasive theory describing how ethics can (and should) be linked to science and mathematics. Here, there are objective moral standards that can be derived from the consequences of human actions. The evolution of ethical systems is shown as an “adaptation.” Humans adapt to survive, and they do so by creating standards and rules of behavior to stop vicious cycles of pain, suffering, and death. The more organized and efficient human activities become, the more certain the survival of the species becomes. -
An Evolutionary Point of View of Animal Ethics François Criscuolo, Cedric Sueur
An Evolutionary Point of View of Animal Ethics François Criscuolo, Cedric Sueur To cite this version: François Criscuolo, Cedric Sueur. An Evolutionary Point of View of Animal Ethics. Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers, 2020, 11, 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00403. hal-02868583 HAL Id: hal-02868583 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02868583 Submitted on 24 Jul 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. OPINION PAPER | AN EVOLUTIONARY POINT OF VIEW OF ANIMAL ETHICS François Criscuolo1* and Cédric Sueur1,2,3 1 Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France 2 Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France 3 CEERE, Centre Européen d’Enseignement et de Recherche en Ethique, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France *: corresponding author: [email protected] Keywords Animal ethics, evolutionary biology, trade-offs, human Abstract Animal ethics raises the question of the nature of the relationship human civilization should tend to with animals. Because humanity has tremendously changed the Earth environment, this encompasses domestic species as well as wild species. To date, we defined ethical rules based on cruelty crime or application of human-centred thinking about animal consciousness and sentience. -
Evolutionary Ethics? Substantiators, Skeptics, and Moral Realism
University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-04-30 Evolutionary Ethics? Substantiators, Skeptics, and Moral Realism Jimenez, Kieran Chad Jimenez, K. C. (2013). Evolutionary Ethics? Substantiators, Skeptics, and Moral Realism (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26002 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/662 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Evolutionary Ethics? Substantiators, Skeptics, and Moral Realism by Kieran Jimenez A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2013 © Kieran Jimenez 2013 Abstract Hardly a week passes without new findings emerging from evolutionary psychology regarding how our view of morality has been influenced by our biological evolution. Evolutionary ethics is a normative project built upon these scientific insights. Evolutionary ethicists fall into two groups: substantiators or skeptics. Substantiators believe moral ideas can now be scientifically proven. Skeptics believe there are no moral truths because morality is just a biological adaptation. I believe the project of evolutionary ethics is misconceived. I argue that both the substantiators and the skeptics fail to show the direct relevance of biology to ethics. -
There Is No Alternative: a Discursive Analysis of Past and Present
There Is No Alternative: A Discursive Analysis of Past and Present By Senne Vandevelde Introduction There is no alternative, or in short: TINA. One would be hard pressed to find a phrase that is so ideologically charged and at the same time so widely used in the world of politics. To disprove it seems straightforward in all circumstances. The starting point of this dissertation is therefore unequivocal: there is always an alternative. Even if a given socio-economic framework does not permit alternatives, it is always possible to alter the framework itself. As such, TINA or any other argument in the same vein is considered to be absurd. Yet both the use of such arguments as well as their appeal have by no means diminished since they were popularised by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. On the contrary, with the advent of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the austerity policies that ensued, TINA has only grown in importance. However, several people who used TINA during this time have no political affiliation with Thatcher whatsoever. To illustrate, this dissertation studies TINA as it was inserted into the social democratic prime ministerial discourse in Greece and Spain (which were led by George Papandreou and José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero respectively). To find out what this insertion might mean for the Eurozone and Europe today, this dissertation first goes back in time to uncover the discursive history of TINA. While TINA as an expression was coined originally by Herbert Spencer in the middle of the nineteenth century and eventually became part of regular political discourse with Thatcher, the logic of no alternative has been a recurrent theme for generations of advocates of economic liberalism, a discourse which adheres to the free market, free trade and a minimal state. -
The Biological Roots of Morality
UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title The biological roots of morality Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85j4s12p Journal Biology and Philosophy, 2(3) ISSN 0169-3867 Author Ayala, FJ Publication Date 1987-07-01 DOI 10.1007/BF00128831 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Biological Roots of Morality* FRANCISCO J. AYALA Department of Genetics University of California Davis, California 95616 U.S.A. ABSTRACT: The question whether ethical behavior is biologically determined may refer either to the capacity for ethics (i.e., the proclivity to judge human actions as either right or wrong), or to the moral norms accepted by human beings for guiding their actions. My theses are: (1) that the capacity for ethics is a necessary attribute of human nature; and (2) that moral norms are products of cultural evolution, not of biological evolution. Humans exhibit ethical behavior by nature because their biological makeup determines the presence of the three necessary, and jointly sufficient, conditions for ethical behavior: (i) the ability to anticipate the consequences of one's own actions; (ii) the ability to make value judgments; and (iii) the ability to choose between alternative courses of action. Ethical behavior came about in evolution not because it is adaptive in itself, but as a necessary consequence of man's eminent intellectual abilities, which are an attribute directly promoted by natural selection. Since Darwin's time there have been evolutionists proposing that the norms of morality are derived from biological evolution.