Can we give an evolutionary account of morality and politics?

Required

• Dennett, DDI, Ch. 16 Origin of Morality, 17 Redesigning Morality
• Mackie, J. L. (1978). The Law of the Jungle: Moral Alternatives and Principles of Evolution. Philosophy, 53(206), 455-464. PDF
• Boehm, C. (2000). Conflict and the Evolution of Social Control. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 7(1-2), 79-101.

Recommended

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Morality and Evolutionary Biology (Fitzpatrick)
• Moral Minds: the Evolution of Human Morality. ABC's “All in the Mind” interview with March Hauser and Richard Joyce.

1. Can we give an evolutionary account of morality without committing the naturalistic fallacy?
   1. We don't want to justify specific moral norms or ethical judgments directly from biological facts
      1. Naturalistic fallacy: shouldn't derive “ought” from “is”; shouldn't identify moral properties with natural properties, e.g., what is natural is good, or pleasure is good
      2. What is meant by 'natural'?
   2. Can we give an evolutionary account of recognized moral behaviors? Altruism, punishment, trust, cooperation?
      1. Are moral judgment rational judgements or emotional reactions to evens in the world? What is the role of reasoning once we evolve beyond proto-moral systems?
      2. If GRUDGER is an ESS, and SUCKER will invite CHEATS and instability, then why do humans promote saints? Why not promote the pragmatic discriminative intelligence of the Grudger? Consider the role of piety, blind devotion, patriotism. Pinker suggests a moral illusion might be at work: wehave a moral sense that misperceives the moral worthiness of individuals (why is Mother Theresa more admirable than Norman Borlaug?).
      3. Do we have an innate moral grammar? (Consider the analogy with Chomsky's view of language acquisition)
   3. Can we give an evolutionary account of the practices by which norms are justified or accepted?
      1. We don't want to say simply that whatever is natural is good, or that moral truths are determined by evolution, or that genes encode moral prescriptions, or even that morality is always for he good of the genes.
      2. What role do memes and culture play in justifying moral beliefs?
      3. To show that certain practices for justifying moral beliefs evolved is not the same thing as saying that moral truths are justified by natural facts.
      4. Examples can be found in other normative enterprises: language, sports, etiquette.
      5. Consider the role of reflective equilibrium in shaping moral prescription over time. What are the constraints?
2. How did social Darwinism attempt to incorporate Darwinian thinking into social and political policy?
   1. Use of a conception of Darwinian evolution to justify particular social, political and moral policy.
   2. Social Darwinists get the science wrong: genetic determinism, neglect of environmental influence, reification of complex behaviors and traits, teleology in nature.
   3. Social Darwinist import values and commit the naturalistic fallacy.
3. Are the roots of moral and political behavior to be found in the behavior of our evolutionary ancestors?