Posted by Helen on: 02.27.2008 /
This week’s Economist reports on a panel discussion at The American Association for the Advancement of Science in which biologists discussed moral thinking.
I find it interesting to hear what people say about morals who approach the subject from a non-religious viewpoint.
I was especially interested in the study of liberal and conservative teenagers and also this:
Dr Bowles, however, thinks that the virtues of human collaboration are so great that groups composed of genuine, self-sacrificing altruists would outcompete others.
I tend to think this is true which means altruism does have an evolutionary advantage - rather than being something which conflicts with the theory of evolution. I suppose I care about this because many Christians claim otherwise. I’ve disagreed with them for a while (to myself - I don’t really enjoy debating this stuff - it’s more that I want my own views to make sense). I appreciate seeing that a biologist agrees with me!
Comment by: joe
1Maybe it depends on the timescale - as Gandhi said, the way of truth may lose many battles, but will always win in the end.
I know that isn’t really addressing the point, but talking about ‘fitness’ with regard to evolutionary competition always gave me a headache through four years of university and still does. The only thing we can be sure about is that certain individual traits were more fit because they survived.
Is that the same with ideas? Do the good ones survive whilst the duff ones get left in the dirt? Are the moral codes we have now the distilled knowledge of a thousand duff ideas?
Sorry, sideissue.
Comment by: pamhogeweide
2thanks for this helen. i’m going to review the article. tonight is my ethics class. Deborah Loyd is the instructor. We have talked a bit about the origin or morality and natural law and all that fun stuff. I might print some or all of it and take it to the class…
Comment by: Helen
3Interesting thoughts, Joe.
Pam let me know if you take it and if anything interesting comes up regarding what it says.