What Makes Us Moral?

What Makes Us Moral? PDF Author: Neil Levy
Publisher: Oneworld
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Many people fear that science, in the form of genetics and evolutionaryiology, will show that everything we hold most dear is illusory or shameful.orality will prove to be disguised selfishness; our choices will be shown toe driven by instincts; our reasoning will prove to be constrained by ouriology. This book argues that these fears are groundless. Our morality, likeur emotions and our abilities, is indeed the product of evolution, but thisoes not make it illusory. Nor should we conclude, as so many psychologistsnd biologists have done, that our morality is reducible to our biologicalnstincts. Instead, properly understood, the evidence from the sciencesupports the view that the moral capacities we have are capable ofeassessing the very processes which gave birth to them, condemning theiological selfishness in which they had their origin. Human nature is aumane nature, at least in all the ways that matter, and understanding ourrigins ought to make us marvel at it all the more.

What Makes Us Moral?

What Makes Us Moral? PDF Author: Neil Levy
Publisher: Oneworld
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Get Book Here

Book Description
Many people fear that science, in the form of genetics and evolutionaryiology, will show that everything we hold most dear is illusory or shameful.orality will prove to be disguised selfishness; our choices will be shown toe driven by instincts; our reasoning will prove to be constrained by ouriology. This book argues that these fears are groundless. Our morality, likeur emotions and our abilities, is indeed the product of evolution, but thisoes not make it illusory. Nor should we conclude, as so many psychologistsnd biologists have done, that our morality is reducible to our biologicalnstincts. Instead, properly understood, the evidence from the sciencesupports the view that the moral capacities we have are capable ofeassessing the very processes which gave birth to them, condemning theiological selfishness in which they had their origin. Human nature is aumane nature, at least in all the ways that matter, and understanding ourrigins ought to make us marvel at it all the more.

What Makes Us Moral?

What Makes Us Moral? PDF Author: Craig Hovey
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1620327074
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
Is science all we need to make us moral?In his recent book, The Moral Landscape, Sam Harris presents his vision of a world in which reason and science alone determine our values. Here, a leading Christian ethicist subjects this vision to a rigorous critique, providing general readers with a clear, concise, and compelling exposŽ of the most serious flaws in Harris's arguments.

Moral Tribes

Moral Tribes PDF Author: Joshua Greene
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143126059
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
“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.

What Makes Us Moral? On the capacities and conditions for being moral

What Makes Us Moral? On the capacities and conditions for being moral PDF Author: Bert Musschenga
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400763433
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
This book addresses the question of what it means to be moral and which capacities one needs to be moral. It questions whether empathy is a cognitive or an affective capacity, or perhaps both. As most moral beings behave immorally from time to time, the authors ask which factors cause or motivate people to translate their moral beliefs into action? Specially addressed is the question of what is the role of internal factors such as willpower, commitment, character, and what is the role of external, situational and structural factors? The questions are considered from various (disciplinary) perspectives.​

The Moral Molecule

The Moral Molecule PDF Author: Paul J. Zak
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0593067495
Category : Cooperation
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Why are men less faithful than women? Why are some people altruists and others cold-hearted bastards? Why do some businesses succeed while others collapse? In his entertaining and groundbreaking book, Paul Zak uses neuroscience and the fundamentals of economics to answer essential questions about human nature and explore exactly what goodness is.

The Moral Landscape

The Moral Landscape PDF Author: Sam Harris
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 143917122X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Sam Harris dismantles the most common justification for religious faith--that a moral system cannot be based on science.

Braintrust

Braintrust PDF Author: Patricia S. Churchland
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691180970
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
A provocative new account of how morality evolved What is morality? Where does it come from? And why do most of us heed its call most of the time? In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for the basis of morality. Moral values, Churchland argues, are rooted in a behavior common to all mammals—the caring for offspring. The evolved structure, processes, and chemistry of the brain incline humans to strive not only for self-preservation but for the well-being of allied selves—first offspring, then mates, kin, and so on, in wider and wider "caring" circles. Separation and exclusion cause pain, and the company of loved ones causes pleasure; responding to feelings of social pain and pleasure, brains adjust their circuitry to local customs. In this way, caring is apportioned, conscience molded, and moral intuitions instilled. A key part of the story is oxytocin, an ancient body-and-brain molecule that, by decreasing the stress response, allows humans to develop the trust in one another necessary for the development of close-knit ties, social institutions, and morality. A major new account of what really makes us moral, Braintrust challenges us to reconsider the origins of some of our most cherished values.

Do Morals Matter?

Do Morals Matter? PDF Author: Joseph S. Nye
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190935960
Category : POLITICAL SCIENCE
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
What is the role of ethics in American foreign policy? The Trump Administration has elevated this from a theoretical question to front-page news. Should ethics even play a role, or should we only focus on defending our material interests? In Do Morals Matter? Joseph S. Nye provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have-and have not-incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Nye examines each presidency during theAmerican era post-1945 and scores them on the success they achieved in implementing an ethical foreign policy. Alongside this, he evaluates their leadership qualities, explaining which approaches work and which ones do not.

Can Animals Be Moral?

Can Animals Be Moral? PDF Author: Mark Rowlands
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019024030X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Can animals act morally? Philosophical tradition answers "no," and has apparently convincing arguments on its side. Cognitive ethology supplies a growing body of empirical evidence that suggests these arguments are wrong. This groundbreaking book assimilates both philosophical and ethological frameworks into a unified whole and argues for a qualified "yes."

Moral Minds

Moral Minds PDF Author: Marc D. Hauser
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061864781
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 530

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Book Description
A Harvard scientist illuminates the biological basis for human morality in this groundbreaking book. With the diversity of moral attitudes found across cultures around the globe, it is easy to assume that moral perspectives are socially developed—a matter of nurture rather than nature. But in Moral Minds, Marc Hauser presents compelling evidence to the contrary, and offers a revolutionary new theory: that humans have evolved a universal moral instinct. Hauser argues that certain biologically innate moral principles propel us toward judgments of right and wrong independent of gender, education, and religion. Combining his cutting-edge research with the latest findings in cognitive psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, economics, and anthropology, Hauser explores the startling implications of his provocative theory vis-à-vis contemporary bioethics, religion, the law, and our everyday lives.