Reddit Reddit reviews The Biology of Moral Systems (Evolutionary Foundations of Human Behavior Series)

We found 3 Reddit comments about The Biology of Moral Systems (Evolutionary Foundations of Human Behavior Series). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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3 Reddit comments about The Biology of Moral Systems (Evolutionary Foundations of Human Behavior Series):

u/nickel2 · 3 pointsr/slatestarcodex

You might be interested in reading The Biology of Moral Systems (I've just started reading it). It tries to look at how evolution built human morality from ground up, with the specific goal of mitigating existential risk (nuclear war). There are other books like it but most are popularizations; this one seems fairly rigorous.

I'm also starting to think group selection is deeply relevant for human morality. Cf. Ibn Khaldun and this result for iterated prisoner's dilemma: http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2012/07/iterated-prisoners-dilemma-is-ultimatum.html.

edit: maybe Ibn Khaldun is not an example of 'group selection' strictly defined but you get the idea...

u/TooManyInLitter · 3 pointsr/DebateAnAtheist

> What are some popular books on atheist morals that atheists live by?

Another strawman where one attempts to argue that atheism is anything more than a position/belief in the existence of God(s)? Really lightning?

However, as an atheist, or one that is not tied to a specific Religious text(s) from which to derive morality, I will start with popular books that I have rejected as a source of a sustainable and workable morality against the moral precept of: On a societal basis, reduce actual or potential harm and pain and suffering (evil) and increase actual or potential happiness (good):

  • Qur'an (and the Hadiths related to the expressed moral words and actions of the Prophet, the "Most Perfect of All Men," who is said to be the best example of following the Timeless Absolute Morality of Allah)
  • Bible
  • Torah/Tanakh
  • Vedas

    For books I recommend to assist one in examining their own morality, with the goal of developing a workable and supportable contempary morality, I suggest:

  • Alexander, Richard. The biology of moral systems. Routledge, 2017. (PDF download link for the first part of the book)
  • Friesen, Bruce K. Moral systems and the evolution of human rights. Springer, 2014.
  • Hauser, Marc. Moral minds: How nature designed our universal sense of right and wrong. Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.
  • Gewirth, Alan. Reason and morality. University of Chicago Press, 1981.

    Lightning, usually I would ask you to address the flip side of your post - you know, so that the post is not a low-effort post where you merely make assertions against atheists or Theists of other Religions; but in this case, I suspect that for this post topic, the question of what reference(s) of where you, a Muslim, gets your morality, the answer is obvious. So, instead, I will ask - How is the Absolute morality/moral tenets, as expressed in the Qur'an and with the required supplementation by subjective Hadith, supportable as "Good" (with your presentation of what "Good" is) and is acceptable as a source of moral guidance in modern society across all actions and circumstances?
u/neko_nero · 1 pointr/belgium

>Values only work if you truly uphold them all the time.

Nonsense, all humans work with situation-dependent evaluation. There is no absolute ethical value that does not have a "but under these circumstances" exception (which in itself is dependent on the individual). In addition to that, values can change over time. Machines are rigid, humans are flexible, which is necessary for adaptation and survival in a world with endless situational variations.

>Will you teach your children this absolute egotism

As I find it morally disagreeable to create life, I long ago decided not to have any children. But if I did, I would definitely teach them to look out for themselves first, wouldn't you? What parent would want their child to sacrifice itself for the parent's sake? Parenthood means sacrifice, that's why nearly all animals fight to the death to protect their brood.

>We could chose

The individual might be able to choose, but the whole of the species has a direction of its own. Egotism is an extremely positive trait for survival, that's why all species have it. Your best bet for improving selflessness among humans would be to support genetic manipulation.

If you're interested in a much better and much more detailed exposition, I recommend The Biology of Moral Systems by Richard Alexander.