Evolutionary Origins of Morality: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives

Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.: Imprint Academic. New. 2000. Paperback. 090784507x .*** FREE UPGRADE to Courier/Priority Shipping Upon Request *** - *** IN STOCK AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT - FLAWLESS COPY, PRISTINE, NEVER OPENED -- -- 352 pages; clean and crisp, tight and bright pages, with no writing or markings to the text. -- TABLE OF CONTENTS: Section 1. Primate Evolutionary Continuities versus Human Uniqueness * Principal paper * Jessica C. Flack and Frans B. M. De Waal, 'Any Animal Whatever': Darwinian Building Blocks of Morality in Monkeys and Apes * Commentary discussion of principal paper * I. S. Bernstein, The Law Of Parsimony Prevails: Missing Premises Allow Any Conclusion * Josep Call, Intending and Perceiving: Two Forgotten Components of Social Norms * Margaret Gruter and Monika Gruter Morhenn, Building Blocks of Legal Behaviour: The Evolution of Law * Sandra Güth and Werner Güth, Morality Based on Cognition in Primates * Jerome Kagan, Human Morality Is Distinctive * Hans Kummer, Ways Beyond Appearances * Jim Moore, Morality and the Elephant: Prosocial Behaviour, Normativity, and Fluctuating Allegiances * Peter Railton, Darwinian Building Blocks * B. Thierry, Building Elements of Morality Are Not Elements of Morality * John Troyer, Human and Other Natures * Response to commentary discussion * Jessica C. Flack and Frans B. M. De Waal, Being Nice Is Not a Building Block of Morality * Section 2. How, When and Why Did the Unique Aspects of Human Morality Arise? * Principal paper * Christopher Boehm, Conflict and the Evolution of Social Control * Commentary discussion of principal paper * Christoph Antweiler, Morality as Adaptive Problem-Solving for Conflicts of Power * I. S. Bernstein, Logic and Human Morality: An Attractive if Untestable Scenario * Donald Black, On the Origin of Morality * Alan Carling, Boehm's Golden Age: Equality and Consciousness in Early Human Society * Robert Knox Dentan, Puzzling Questions, Not Beyond All Conjecture: Boehm's 'Evolutionary Origins Of Morality' * Peter M. Gardner, Which Culture Traits Are Primitive? * Bruce M. Knauft, Symbols, Sex and Sociality In the Evolution of Human Morality * Dennis Krebs, As Moral As We Need To Be * B. Thierry, Group Sanctions Without Social Norms? * Lionel Tiger, The Internal Triangle * Response to commentary discussion * Christopher Boehm, The Origin of Morality as Social Control * Section 3. Are We Really Altruists? * Principal paper * Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson, Summary of Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior * Commentary discussion of principal paper * C. Daniel Batson, Unto Others: A Service .. .And a Disservice * Christopher Boehm, Group Selection in the Upper Palaeolithic * Herbert Gintis, Group Selection and Human Prosociality * Gilbert Harman, Can Evolutionary Theory Provide Evidence Against Psychological Hedonism? * K. N. Laland, F. J. Odling-Smee and Marcus W. Feldman, Group Selection: A Niche Construction Perspective * Iver Mysterud, Group Selection, Morality, and Environmental Problems * Randolph M. Nesse, How Selfish Genes Shape Moral Passions * Leonard Nunney, Altruism, Benevolence and Culture * Alex Rosenberg, The Problem of Enforcement: Is There an Alternative to Leviathan? * William A. Rottschaefer, It's Been a Pleasure, But That's Not Why I Did It: Are Sober and Wilson Too Generous Toward Their Selfish Brethren? * Lori Stevens, Experimental Studies of Group Selection: A Genetical Perspective * Ian Vine, Selfish, Altruistic, or Groupish? Natural Selection and Human Moralities * Amotz Zahavi, Altruism: The Unrecognized Selfish Traits * Response to commentary discussion * Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson, Morality and Unto Others * Section 4. Can Fairness Evolve? * Principal paper * Brian Skyrms, Game Theory, Rationality and Evolution of the Social Contract * Commentary discussion of principal paper * Gary E. Bolton, Motivation and the Games People Play * Jeffrey P. Carpenter, Blurring the Line Between Rationality and Evolution * Justin D'Arms, When Evolutionary Game Theory Explains Morality, What Does It Explain? * Herbert Gintis, Classical versus Evolutionary Game Theory * Sandra Güth and Werner Güth, Rational Deliberation versus Behavioural Adaptation: Theoretical Perspectives and Experimental Evidence * William Harms, The Evolution of Cooperation in Hostile Environments * Dennis Krebs, Evolutionary Games and Morality * Gary Mar, Evolutionary Game Theory, Morality and Darwinism * Randolph M. Nesse, Strategic Subjective Commitment * Christopher D. Proulx, Distributive Justice and the Nash Bargaining Solution * Response to commentary discussion * Brian Skyrms, Adaptive Dynamic Models and the Social Contract * Index * -- DESCRIPTION: -- Four principal papers and a total of 43 peer commentaries on the evolutionary origins of morality. To what extent is human morality the outcome of a continuous development from motives, emotions and social behaviour found in nonhuman animals? Jerome Kagan, Hans Kummer, Peter Railton and others discuss the first principal paper by primatologists Jessica Flack and Frans de Waal. The second paper, by cultural anthropologist Christopher Boehm, synthesizes social science and biological evidence to support his theory of how our hominid ancestors became moral. In the third paper philosopher Elliott Sober and evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson argue that an evolutionary understanding of human nature allows sacrifice for others and ultimate desires for another's good. Finally Brian Skyrms argues that game theory based on adaptive dynamics must join the social scientist’s use of rational choice and classical game theory to explain cooperation. REVIEWS: "The papers are without exception excellent .. .It is hard to imagine a better start than the essays collected here for the new enterprise of applying evolutionary and primatological findings to the study of morality. " Biology and Philosophy * "A fascinating set of essays" Human Nature Review "Provides a wonderfully rich range of viewpoints from a variety of fields. " * Journal of Moral Education * "Psychologists will find much to enjoy in this meaty volume. " APA Review of Books * Advance praise for Evolutionary Origins of Morality* "Thoughtful and informative, ... A good basis for appreciating what has been achieved, and what the prospects might be, in a domain of inquiry that is of fundamental importance for understanding of our essential nature. " Noam Chomsky * "What would happen at a fictional dinner with the likes of Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, David Hume, and Friedrich Nietzsche debating and revising their views in the light of today's science? Hard to say, perhaps, but one might well imagine that it would be great fun to listen in. Forget fiction. Pick up Evolutionary Origins of Morality and find out how moral psychology is being picked apart by evolutionists. The concise essays and critical exchanges are great fun -- and a feast for the mind" Marc Hauser -- with a bonus offer-- .