Thesis ID: CBB001561694

Conceptual Foundations for the Psychology and Evolution of Morality (2005)

unapi

Sripada, Chandra Sekhar (Author)


Rutgers University
Stich, Stephen P.


Publication Date: 2005
Edition Details: Advisor: Stich, Stephen P.
Physical Details: 189 pp.
Language: English

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in scientific interest in the psychological and evolutionary basis for moral judgment and behavior. In this dissertation, I bring philosophical scrutiny to conceptual issues that arise within the scientific fields investigating morality and trace the implications of these scientific results for traditional philosophical concerns. Chapters one and two of the dissertation focus on moral psychology. In these chapters, I construct a theory of the psychology that subserves moral norms---one that is anchored in the burgeoning scientific literature on the psychological basis for moral judgment and behavior. A major theme that emerges from my discussion is that the psychology that subserves moral norms permits much more variation in the contents of moral norms than most 'moral nativists' typically suppose. Chapters three and four focus on evolutionary issues. In these chapters, I argue that game theoretic models of the evolution of morality, and other kinds of norms and values as well, have been widely misinterpreted by evolutionary-minded theorists. I clarify the structure of these game theoretic models, and then use this discussion as a backdrop to illuminate two topics of central philosophical concern---the origin and nature of moral diversity and the malleability of human nature. The final chapter turns to metaethics. Perhaps the most fundamental question in metaethics is 'What is the nature of morality?' Philosophers have traditionally addressed this question using a prioristic methods such as conceptual analysis. In chapter 5, I argue for a quite different approach in which moral norms are viewed as _natural kinds_ in the social sciences. That is, I argue that moral norms are theoretical kinds whose true nature is revealed by scientific inquiry. The methodology I use in building my account of moral norms demonstrates that there are naturalistically grounded alternatives to aprioristic methodologies in addressing traditional metaethical questions.

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Description Cited in Diss. Abstr. Int. A 66/11 (2006): 4050. UMI pub. no. 3195753.


Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001561694/

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Authors & Contributors
Cassidy, Angela
Baker, Bernadette M.
Wilson, David Sloan
Spencer, Harnish G.
Ruse, Michael
Root, Michael J.
Concepts
Evolutionary psychology
Psychology
Evolution and ethics
Sociobiology
Science and society
Human evolution
Time Periods
20th century, late
19th century
21st century
20th century, early
20th century
18th century
Places
United States
Great Britain
France
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