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The Biology of Moral Systems

by: Alexander,Richard

The Biology of Moral Systems

by: Alexander,Richard

ISBN 13:
9780202011745
ISBN 10:
0202011747
Format: Nonspecific Binding
Copyright: 12/30/1987
Publisher: Routledge

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Summary

Crammed with sage observations on moral dilemmas and many reasons why an understanding of evolution based on natural selection will advance thinking in finding practical solutions to our most difficult social problems.”—Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences

Preface

xiii

Acknowledgments

xix

Biology and the Background of Moral Systems

The Evolutionary Approach

(32)

Introduction

(3)

Sociobiology and Ideology

(2)

Meanings and Misinterpretations

(7)

Proximate Causes and the Reductionism of Evolutionary Biology

(8)

The Problem of Culture

(9)

The Problem of Resistance to Self-Understanding

(3)

Human Interests and Their Conflicts: What Lifetimes Are About

(9)

What Are Human Interests?

(3)

Life Interests as Reproductive

(3)

Lifetimes as Effort

(2)

Reproduction and Senescence: Why Lifetimes Are Finite

(21)

The Older Theories of Senescence

(3)

Williams' Pleiotropic Theory of Senescence

(3)

The Nature and Extent of Pleiotropy

(3)

The General Shapes of Mortality Curves

(1)

The Effect of Mortality Rates on Senescence

(1)

Male and Female Mortality

(2)

Semelparity, Iteroparity, and Senescence

(3)

Parental Care and Offspring Replacement

(2)

The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay Effect

(2)

Summary

(1)

Reproduction and Cooperation: Special Cases

(14)

Genetic Individuality and Individuality of Interests

(1)

The Pinnacles of Ultrasociality: How They Evolved

(4)

Other Special Cases of Cooperation

(2)

Monogamy and Reproductive Opportunity Leveling

(2)

Conflicts of Interest and Deception in Communication

(4)

A Biological View of Morality

Conflicts and Confluences of Interest: A Theory of Moral Systems

(30)

Conflicts of Interests

(2)

Why Do Humans Live in Groups?

(2)

Classifying Human Effort: The ``Atoms'' of Sociality

(7)

Philosophy and Conflicts of Interest

(5)

Moral Systems as Systems of Indirect Reciprocity

(3)

Where Do Rules Come From

(1)

Discriminate and Indiscriminate Beneficence

(10)

Morality and the Human Psyche

107

(22)

Hypotheses About the Evolution of Consciousness

110

(4)

Consciousness and Deception

114

(3)

Self-Deception

117

(9)

Myths and Self-Images

126

(3)

Life History Theory and the Ontogeny of Moral Behavior

129

(10)

Introduction

130

(1)

Kohlberg's Stages, with an Evolutionary Hypothesis for Each

131

(8)

General Conclusions

139

(6)

Morality as Seen by Philosophers and Biologists

Introduction

145

(1)

The Moral Philosophers

146

(18)

Rationality and Self-Interest

146

(7)

Misunderstandings of Reciprocity

153

(8)

Proximate and Ultimate Mechanisms and Self-Sacrifice

161

(3)

The Biologist-Philosophers

164

(13)

The Naturalistic Fallacy

165

(3)

Darwin's Group Selection Theory and Fisher's Alternative

168

(2)

T. H. Huxley, and Morality as Contrary to Evolution

170

(1)

Darwin, Keith, and Human Evolution in Groups

171

(6)

The Philosophers of Biology

177

(3)

Morality and Law

180

(6)

Morality and Democracy

186

(4)

The Goal of Unviersal Beneficence

190

(3)

Summary

193

(1)

Conclusions

194

(3)

Applying the Biological View of Morality

Morality and Openness in the Pursuit of Truth: Science, Law, and God as the Models

197

(11)

Introduction

197

(3)

God and Science as Truth-Seeking

200

(7)

Summarizing Hypotheses

207

(1)

Modeling Value Systems and Maintaining Indirect Reciprocity

208

(19)

The Rights of Embryos and the Moribund

208

(8)

The Rights of Women and Men

216

(5)

The Rights of Children and Parents

221

(1)

The Perils of Error and Unrecognized Biases

222

(4)

Conclusions

226

(1)

Arms Races, Human and Otherwise

227

(26)

Human Arms Races Compared to Natural and Sexual Selection

227

(4)

Are There Precedents for Arms Race Resolutions?

231

(2)

Proposed Solutions to the International Arms Race

233

(4)

Knowledge of the Physical Universe, Ignorance of the Social One

237

(2)

Deception and Misinformation

239

(1)

Partial Brakes on the Arms Race

240

(13)

Conclusions

253

(6)

Epilogue

259

(6)

Bibliography

265

(16)

Name Index

281

(6)

Subject Index

287

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Biology of Moral Systems

The Biology of Moral Systems

9780202011745

0202011747

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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