The Evolution of Morality and Religion PDF
Preview The Evolution of Morality and Religion
This page intehntionally left blank The Evolution of Morality and Religion Acceptedcodesofconductandestablishedreligionsarefeaturesof humansocietiesthroughouttheworld.Whyshouldthisbe?Inthis book,biologistDonaldBroomarguesthattheseaspectsofhuman culturehaveevolvedasaconsequenceofnaturalselection;that morallyacceptablebehaviourbenefitshumansandotheranimals andthataprincipalfunctionofreligionistounderpinandencourage suchbehaviour.Theauthorprovidesbiologicalinsightsdrawn especiallyfromworkonanimalbehaviourandpresentsideasand informationfromthefieldsofphilosophyandtheologytoproducea thought-provoking,interdisciplinarytreatment.Scientistswhoread thisbookwillgainanappreciationofthewiderliteratureon moralityandreligion,andnon-scientistswillbenefitfromthe author’sextensiveknowledgeofthebiologicalmechanisms underlyingthebehaviourofhumansandothersocialanimals. donald m. broom isColleenMacleodProfessorofAnimal WelfareintheDepartmentofClinicalVeterinaryMedicineatthe UniversityofCambridge.Hehasalong-standinginterestinthe originsofmoralbehaviourinsocialspecieswhichhasledto invitationstolectureinuniversitydepartmentsofphilosophyand theology.Heisalsointerestedinreligionsandattendsachurch.In additiontoover250scientificpapers,hehaspublishedsevenbooks, includingBiologyofBehaviour(1981),FarmAnimalBehaviourand Welfare(1990withA.F.Fraser),StressandAnimalWelfare(1993 withK.G.Johnson)andCopingwithChallenge:WelfareinAnimals IncludingMan (2001).Heisamemberofnationalandinternational animalwelfarecommitteesdealingwiththeethicsofanimalusage andrelatedlegislationandfrequentlyappearsinthemediadealing withissuesofanimalwelfare. The Evolution of Morality and Religion donald m. broom DepartmentofClinicalVeterinaryMedicineandStCatharine’s College,UniversityofCambridge Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , United Kingdom Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521821926 © Donald M. Broom 2003 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2003 - isbn-13 978-0-511-07041-9 eBook (EBL) - isbn-10 0-511-07041-1 eBook (EBL) - isbn-13 978-0-521-82192-6 hardback - isbn-10 0-521-82192-4 hardback isbn--13 978-0-521-52924-2 paperback - isbn-10 0-521-52924-7 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Contents Preface pageix Acknowledgements xii 1 Conceptsandcodesofliving 1 1.1 Conceptsofmoralityandreligion 1 1.2 Thecomplexityofbraincontrol 4 1.3 Ideasabouttheoriginsofmorality 10 1.4 Moralitydistinguishedfromsexualandother customs 14 1.5 Codesofconduct 16 1.6 Consequencesofsocialevolution 19 1.7 Cooperationandmorality 22 1.8 Moralityandreligions 26 2 Cooperation,altruism,reciprocalaltruism 30 2.1 Thecommonalityofgenesandtheconcepts ofaltruism 30 2.2 Cooperativebehaviourinanimals 37 2.3 Competition,aggressionandwar 70 2.4 Theevolutionofaltruism 75 3 Biologicalcapabilitiesneededforaltruismand morality 84 3.1 Capabilities 84 3.2 Whichbrainswouldallowreciprocalaltruism? 84 3.3 Thecapacityforrecognisingothers 87 3.4 Awarenessandconsciousness 90 vi contents 3.5 Feelingsandemotionsinrelationtomorality 98 3.6 Cognitiveresponsestomoralissues 105 3.7 Whatisneededbiologicallyformorality? 109 4 Ideasaboutmorality 115 4.1 Whatisrightandwhatiswrong? 115 4.2 Obligations,rightsandevaluation 127 4.3 Knowledgeandconscience 134 4.4 Moralityinrelationtocodesofsexualbehaviour 140 4.5 Developmentofmoralityintheyoung 152 4.6 Moralityandlaw 157 4.7 Conclusionsabouttheevolutionofmorality 161 5 Theoriginsandvalueofreligion 164 5.1 Themoralcoreofreligion 164 5.2 Otheraspectsofreligiouspractice 168 5.3 Goodness,gloryandparadise 173 5.4 Theevolutionarybasisofreligion 176 5.5 Theeffectsofnewknowledgeonreligion 181 5.6 Harmsassociatedwithreligiouspractice 185 5.7 Thevalueofreligionsandtheirfuture 189 6 Otherviewsabouttheoriginsofmoralityand religion 194 6.1 Morality,religionandbiologyasmutuallyopposed 194 6.2 The‘selfish’gene,sociobiology,moralityandreligion 197 7 Socialandpoliticalconsequencesofthisbiological viewofmoralityandreligion 204 7.1 Government,freecompetitionandthemaintenance ofamoralsociety 204 7.2 Ourviewsofotherspecies 212 7.3 Moralityandreligioninotherspecies 217 contents vii 8 Conclusions 223 References 230 Specieslist 246 Authorindex 248 Subjectindex 252
The list of books you might like
