How Did Morality Evolve?
Abstract. This paper presents and criticizes. Alexander's evolutionary theory of morality (1987). Earlier research, on which Alexander's theory is based, is also reviewed. The propensity to create moral systems evolved because it allowed ancestral humans to limit conflict within cooperatin...
1. VerfasserIn: | |
---|---|
Medienart: | Elektronisch Aufsatz |
Sprache: | Englisch |
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Veröffentlicht: |
Wiley-Blackwell
1991
|
In: |
Zygon
Jahr: 1991, Band: 26, Heft: 1, Seiten: 49-89 |
weitere Schlagwörter: | B
Morality
B human behavioral biology B Sociobiology B evolutionary theory |
Online Zugang: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Parallele Ausgabe: | Nicht-Elektronisch
|
Zusammenfassung: | Abstract. This paper presents and criticizes. Alexander's evolutionary theory of morality (1987). Earlier research, on which Alexander's theory is based, is also reviewed. The propensity to create moral systems evolved because it allowed ancestral humans to limit conflict within cooperating groups and thus form larger groups, which were advantageous because of intense between-group competition. Alexander sees moral codes as contractual, and the primary criticism of his theory is that moral codes are not completely contractual but also coercive. Ways of evaluating Alexander's theory as well as modified versions of it are discussed. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1467-9744 |
Enthält: | Enthalten in: Zygon
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1991.tb00803.x |