The Evolution Of Moral Progress

Author : Allen Buchanan,Russell Powell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2018-06-08
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780190868437

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The Evolution of Moral Progress by Allen Buchanan,Russell Powell Pdf

In The Evolution of Moral Progress, Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell resurrect the project of explaining moral progress. They avoid the errors of earlier attempts by drawing on a wide range of disciplines including moral and political philosophy, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, history, and sociology. Their focus is on one especially important type of moral progress: gains in inclusivity. They develop a framework to explain progress in inclusivity to also illuminate moral regression--the return to exclusivist and "tribalistic" moral beliefs and attitudes. Buchanan and Powell argue those tribalistic moral responses are not hard-wired by evolution in human nature. Rather, human beings have an evolved "adaptively plastic" capacity for both inclusion and exclusion, depending on environmental conditions. Moral progress in the dimension of inclusivity is possible, but only to the extent that human beings can create environments conducive to extending moral standing to all human beings and even to some animals. Buchanan and Powell take biological evolution seriously, but with a critical eye, while simultaneously recognizing the crucial role of culture in creating environments in which moral progress can occur. The book avoids both biological and cultural determinism. Unlike earlier theories of moral progress, their theory provides a naturalistic account that is grounded in the best empirical work, and unlike earlier theories it does not present moral progress as inevitable or as occurring in definite stages; but rather it recognizes the highly contingent and fragile character of moral improvement.

Author : Allen E. Buchanan,Russell Powell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 441 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780190868413

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The Evolution of Moral Progress by Allen E. Buchanan,Russell Powell Pdf

Steven Pinker has said that one of the most important questions humans can ask of themselves is whether moral progress has occurred or is likely to occur. Buchanan and Powell here address that question, in order to provide the first naturalistic, empirically-informed and analytically sophisticated theory of moral progress-explaining the capacities in the human brain that allow for it, the role of the environment, and how contingent and fragile moral progress can be.--

Author : Allen Buchanan,Russell Powell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2018-06-08
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780190868437

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The Evolution of Moral Progress by Allen Buchanan,Russell Powell Pdf

In The Evolution of Moral Progress, Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell resurrect the project of explaining moral progress. They avoid the errors of earlier attempts by drawing on a wide range of disciplines including moral and political philosophy, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, history, and sociology. Their focus is on one especially important type of moral progress: gains in inclusivity. They develop a framework to explain progress in inclusivity to also illuminate moral regression--the return to exclusivist and "tribalistic" moral beliefs and attitudes. Buchanan and Powell argue those tribalistic moral responses are not hard-wired by evolution in human nature. Rather, human beings have an evolved "adaptively plastic" capacity for both inclusion and exclusion, depending on environmental conditions. Moral progress in the dimension of inclusivity is possible, but only to the extent that human beings can create environments conducive to extending moral standing to all human beings and even to some animals. Buchanan and Powell take biological evolution seriously, but with a critical eye, while simultaneously recognizing the crucial role of culture in creating environments in which moral progress can occur. The book avoids both biological and cultural determinism. Unlike earlier theories of moral progress, their theory provides a naturalistic account that is grounded in the best empirical work, and unlike earlier theories it does not present moral progress as inevitable or as occurring in definite stages; but rather it recognizes the highly contingent and fragile character of moral improvement.

Author : Allen Buchanan
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2020-03-17
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780262043748

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Our Moral Fate by Allen Buchanan Pdf

A provocative and probing argument showing how human beings can for the first time in history take charge of their moral fate. Is tribalism—the political and cultural divisions between Us and Them—an inherent part of our basic moral psychology? Many scientists link tribalism and morality, arguing that the evolved “moral mind” is tribalistic. Any escape from tribalism, according to this thinking, would be partial and fragile, because it goes against the grain of our nature. In this book, Allen Buchanan offers a counterargument: the moral mind is highly flexible, capable of both tribalism and deeply inclusive moralities, depending on the social environment in which the moral mind operates. We can't be morally tribalistic by nature, Buchanan explains, because quite recently there has been a remarkable shift away from tribalism and toward inclusiveness, as growing numbers of people acknowledge that all human beings have equal moral status, and that at least some nonhumans also have moral standing. These are what Buchanan terms the Two Great Expansions of moral regard. And yet, he argues, moral progress is not inevitable but depends partly on whether we have the good fortune to develop as moral agents in a society that provides the right conditions for realizing our moral potential. But morality need not depend on luck. We can take charge of our moral fate by deliberately shaping our social environment—by engaging in scientifically informed “moral institutional design.” For the first time in human history, human beings can determine what sort of morality is predominant in their societies and what kinds of moral agents they are.

Author : Dale Jamieson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 410 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0199251452

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Morality's Progress by Dale Jamieson Pdf

The summation of nearly three decades of work by a leading figure in environmental ethics and bioethics. The 22 papers are invigoratingly diverse, but together tell a unified story about various aspects of the morality of our relationships to animals and to nature.

Author : Peter Singer
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 1983
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:803141774

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The Expanding Circle by Peter Singer Pdf

Author : Philip Kitcher
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 173 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2021-05-26
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780197549179

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Moral Progress by Philip Kitcher Pdf

This inaugural volume in the Munich Lectures in Ethics series presents lectures by noted philosopher Philip Kitcher. In these lectures, Kitcher develops further the pragmatist approach to moral philosophy, begun in his book The Ethical Project. He uses three historical examples of moral progress--the abolition of chattel slavery, the expansion of opportunities for women, and the increasing acceptance of same-sex love--to propose methods for moral inquiry. In his recommended methodology, Kitcher sees moral progress, for individuals and for societies, through collective discussions that become more inclusive, better informed, and involve participants more inclined to engage with the perspectives of others and aim at actions tolerable by all. The volume is introduced by Jan-Christoph Heilinger and contains commentaries from distinguished scholars Amia Srinivasan, Susan Neiman, and Rahel Jaeggi, and Kitcher's response to their commentaries.

Author : Alfred Russel Wallace
Publisher : Good Press
Page : 108 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2023-10-12
Category : Fiction
ISBN : EAN:8596547613985

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Social Environment and Moral Progress by Alfred Russel Wallace Pdf

"Social Environment and Moral Progress" by Alfred Russel Wallace is a thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between social environments and moral development. Wallace, a prominent naturalist and social critic, delves into the complex interplay between societal conditions and the ethical values of individuals and communities. Through insightful analysis and examples, he examines how factors such as education, economics, and cultural norms shape human morality. This book serves as a valuable contribution to the study of ethics and sociology, offering readers a deeper understanding of the forces that influence moral progress in society. Wallace's work continues to be relevant in contemporary discussions of social ethics and human behavior.

Author : Victor Kumar,Richmond Campbell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2022
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780197600122

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A Better Ape by Victor Kumar,Richmond Campbell Pdf

"A Better Ape explores the evolution of the moral mind from our ancestors with chimpanzees, through the origins of our genus and our species, to the development of behaviorally modern humans who underwent revolutions in agriculture, urbanization, and industrial technology. The book begins, in Part I, by explaining the biological evolution of sympathy and loyalty in great apes and trust and respect in the earliest humans. These moral emotions are the first element of the moral mind. Part II explains the gene-culture co-evolution of norms, emotions, and reasoning in Homo sapiens. Moral norms of harm, kinship, reciprocity, autonomy, and fairness are the second element of the moral mind. A social capacity for interactive moral reasoning is the third element. Part III of the book explains the cultural co-evolution of social institutions and morality. Family, religious, military, political, and economic institutions expanded small bands into large tribes and created more intense social hierarchies through new moral norms of authority and purity. Finally, Part IV explains the rational and cultural evolution of moral progress and moral regress as human societies experienced gains and losses in inclusivity and equality. Moral progress against racism, homophobia, speciesism, sexism, classism, and global injustice depends on integration of privileged and oppressed people in physical space, social roles, and democratic decision making. The central idea in the book is that all these major evolutionary transitions, from ancestral apes to modern societies, and now human survival of climate change, depend on co-evolution between morality, knowledge, and complex social structure"--

Author : Jesse Prinz
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 347 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2007-11-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199283019

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The Emotional Construction of Morals by Jesse Prinz Pdf

Jesse Prinz presents a bravura argument for highly controversial claims about morality, which go to the heart of our understanding of ourselves. He argues that moral values are based on emotional responses, and that these are inculcated by culture, not hard-wired through natural selection. These two claims support a form of moral relativism.

Author : Russell Powell
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2020-02-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262043397

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Contingency and Convergence by Russell Powell Pdf

Can we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere? In this book, Russell Powell investigates whether we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere. Weaving together disparate philosophical and empirical threads, Powell offers the first detailed analysis of the interplay between contingency and convergence in macroevolution, as it relates to both complex life in general and cognitively complex life in particular. If the evolution of mind is not a historical accident, the product of convergence rather than contingency, then, Powell asks, is mind likely to be an evolutionarily important feature of any living world? Stephen Jay Gould argued for the primacy of contingency in evolution. Gould's “radical contingency thesis” (RCT) has been challenged, but critics have largely failed to engage with its core claims and theoretical commitments. Powell fills this gap. He first examines convergent regularities at both temporal and phylogenetic depths, finding evidence that both vindicates and rebuffs Gould's argument for contingency. Powell follows this partial defense of the RCT with a substantive critique. Among the evolutionary outcomes that might defy the RCT, he argues, cognition is particularly important—not only for human-specific issues of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness but also for the large-scale ecological organization of macroscopic living worlds. Turning his attention to complex cognitive life, Powell considers what patterns of cognitive convergence tell us about the nature of mind, its evolution, and its place in the universe. If complex bodies are common in the universe, might complex minds be common as well?

Author : Peter J. Bowler
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2021-03-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108842556

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Progress Unchained by Peter J. Bowler Pdf

Bowler traces ideas about progress using evolutionary biology to throw light on parallel changes in the understanding of social development.

Author : Joshua Greene
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2013-10-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781101638675

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Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene Pdf

“Surprising and remarkable…Toggling between big ideas, technical details, and his personal intellectual journey, Greene writes a thesis suitable to both airplane reading and PhD seminars.”—The Boston Globe Our brains were designed for tribal life, for getting along with a select group of others (Us) and for fighting off everyone else (Them). But modern times have forced the world’s tribes into a shared space, resulting in epic clashes of values along with unprecedented opportunities. As the world shrinks, the moral lines that divide us become more salient and more puzzling. We fight over everything from tax codes to gay marriage to global warming, and we wonder where, if at all, we can find our common ground. A grand synthesis of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, Moral Tribes reveals the underlying causes of modern conflict and lights the way forward. Greene compares the human brain to a dual-mode camera, with point-and-shoot automatic settings (“portrait,” “landscape”) as well as a manual mode. Our point-and-shoot settings are our emotions—efficient, automated programs honed by evolution, culture, and personal experience. The brain’s manual mode is its capacity for deliberate reasoning, which makes our thinking flexible. Point-and-shoot emotions make us social animals, turning Me into Us. But they also make us tribal animals, turning Us against Them. Our tribal emotions make us fight—sometimes with bombs, sometimes with words—often with life-and-death stakes. A major achievement from a rising star in a new scientific field, Moral Tribes will refashion your deepest beliefs about how moral thinking works and how it can work better.

Author : Thomas Henry Huxley
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1897
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : UOM:39015015398475

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Evolution and Ethics, and Other Essays by Thomas Henry Huxley Pdf

Author : Michael Stingl,John Collier
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2019-11-25
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781000761108

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Evolutionary Moral Realism by Michael Stingl,John Collier Pdf

Against standard approaches to evolution and ethics, this book develops the idea that moral values may find their origin in regularly recurring features in the cooperative environments of species of organisms that are social and intelligent. Across a wide range of species that are social and intelligent, possibilities arise for helping others, responding empathetically to the needs of others, and playing fairly. The book identifies these underlying environmental regularities as biological natural kinds and as natural moral values. As natural kinds, moral values help to provide more complete explanations for the selection of traits that arise in response to them. For example, helping in an aquatic environment is quite different than helping in an arboreal environment, and so we can expect the selection of traits for helping to reflect these underlying environmental differences. With the human ability to name, talk, and reason about important features of our environment, moral values become part of moral discourse and argument, helping to produce coherent systems of moral thought. Combining a naturalistic approach to morality with an equal emphasis on moral argument and truth, this book will be of interest to philosophers and historians of biology, theoretical biologists, comparative psychologists, and moral philosophers.