Book ID: CBB465416379

The Evolution of Moral Progress: A Biocultural Theory (2018)

unapi

Buchanan, Allen (Author)
Powell, Russell (Author)


Oxford University Press


Publication Date: 2018
Physical Details: 440
Language: English

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.

...More
Reviewed By

Review Toni Rønnow-Rasmussen (2019) Review of "The Evolution of Moral Progress: A Biocultural Theory". Metascience: An International Review Journal for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science (pp. 397-400). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB465416379/

Similar Citations

Article Brian Garvey; (2018)
The Evolution of Morality and Its Rollback (/isis/citation/CBB181126482/)

Book Gintis, Herbert; (2009)
The Bounds of Reason: Game Theory and the Unification of the Behavioral Sciences (/isis/citation/CBB001201375/)

Book Dupré, John; (2003)
Darwin's Legacy: What Evolution Means Today (/isis/citation/CBB000502604/)

Book Gontier, Thierry; (2005)
Animal et animalité dans la philosophie de la Renaissance et de l'Age Classique (/isis/citation/CBB000610366/)

Article Pansera, Maria Teresa; (2017)
Kant ‘psicoterapeuta morale’: le malattie dell’anima tra antropologia, psicologia ed etica (/isis/citation/CBB879515808/)

Essay Review Lemos, John; (2000)
Darwinian Natural Right and the Naturalistic Fallacy (/isis/citation/CBB000110328/)

Book Canadelli, Elena; (2013)
Più positivo dei positivisti: Antropologia, psicologia, evoluzionismo in Tito Vignoli (/isis/citation/CBB001450137/)

Thesis Sripada, Chandra Sekhar; (2005)
Conceptual Foundations for the Psychology and Evolution of Morality (/isis/citation/CBB001561694/)

Chapter Richards, Robert J.; (2003)
Darwin on mind, morals and emotions (/isis/citation/CBB000359558/)

Article Kenny, Robert; (2015)
Freud, Jung and Boas: The Psychoanalytic Engagement with Anthropology Revisited (/isis/citation/CBB001552647/)

Book Brown, Gillian R.; Kevin N. Laland; (2011)
Sense and Nonsense: Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour (/isis/citation/CBB960667952/)

Chapter Shuttleworth, Sally; (2007)
Evolutionary Psychology and The Way of All Flesh (/isis/citation/CBB000800234/)

Article Alter, Stephen G.; (2007)
Race, Language, and Mental Evolution in Darwin's Descent of Man (/isis/citation/CBB000772495/)

Thesis Milam, Erika Lorraine; (2006)
Looking for a Few Good Males: Female Choice in Evolutionary Biology, 1915--1975 (/isis/citation/CBB001560598/)

Book Borrello, Mark E.; (2010)
Evolutionary Restraints: The Contentious History of Group Selection (/isis/citation/CBB001033348/)

Book Lloyd, Elisabeth Anne; (2008)
Science, Politics, and Evolution (/isis/citation/CBB000831089/)

Article Mameli, Matteo; (2001)
Mindreading, Mindshaping, and Evolution (/isis/citation/CBB000100650/)

Article Canfell, Karen; Spencer, Harnish G.; Oldroyd, Ben; (2001)
Defending the Group from the Terror Within (/isis/citation/CBB000100405/)

Authors & Contributors
Sripada, Chandra Sekhar
Spencer, Harnish G.
Shuttleworth, Sally A.
Richards, Robert John
Pansera, Maria Teresa
Oldroyd, Ben
Concepts
Evolutionary psychology
Evolution
Anthropology
Ethics
Psychology
Philosophy
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
Early modern
Renaissance
20th century, late
Places
United States
Italy
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment