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8 - Biology, Ethics, and Debunking Arguments

from Part II - Religion and Human Biology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2021

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Summary

The application of evolutionary theory to morality has given rise in our day to a field known as “evolutionary ethics.” From the beginning, claims about how evolutionary ideas engage ethical thought have sparked controversy. Both Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer provided their own distinctive evolutionary reasoning about the foundation, content, and function of human morality, while several well-known traditional philosophers, such as Henry Sidgwick, denounced and severely critiqued their views. Given the long-standing connection between ethics and religion, the issues become more complex. In this chapter, we explore the basic issues arising at the intersection of evolutionary ethics and religion – from how areas of ethics are affected to how religion is challenged, with particular attention to theism and Christianity. We also discuss important philosophical work regarding whether evolution debunks realist interpretations of religious ethics and how evolutionary ethics is interpreted by both naturalistic and theistic worldviews.

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Biology, Religion, and Philosophy
An Introduction
, pp. 184 - 204
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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