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The Biology of Moral Systems

Aldine de Gruyter (1987)

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  1. The sacrifice and the reciprocity-programme in religious rituals and in man's everyday interactions.Henrik Høgh-Olesen - 2006 - Journal of Cognition and Culture 6 (3-4):499-519.
    The sacrifice is a ritualized central structure in religious practice worldwide, but from a psychological point of view it may be much more than that. On the basis of cross-cultural, comparative, and experimental data, where 162 strangers are arranged to meet in twos without knowing that their interaction is being observed, it is argued that the sacrifice is not first and foremost a religious concept, let alone a behavioural structure primarily related to the man-god relation, but rather a key factor (...)
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  • Psychological adaptations for assessing gossip veracity.Nicole H. Hess & Edward H. Hagen - 2006 - Human Nature 17 (3):337-354.
    Evolutionary models of human cooperation are increasingly emphasizing the role of reputation and the requisite truthful “gossiping” about reputation-relevant behavior. If resources were allocated among individuals according to their reputations, competition for resources via competition for “good” reputations would have created incentives for exaggerated or deceptive gossip about oneself and one’s competitors in ancestral societies. Correspondingly, humans should have psychological adaptations to assess gossip veracity. Using social psychological methods, we explored cues of gossip veracity in four experiments. We found that (...)
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  • Unraveling introspection.John Heil - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):49-50.
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  • Myth and morality: The love command.Philip Hefner - 1991 - Zygon 26 (1):115-136.
    Following in general a history of religions analysis, the paper argues that myth lays a basis for morality in that it sets forth a picture of “how things really are” (the is), to which humans seek to conform their actions (morality, the ought). A parallel argument locates the capacity for morality and values orientation in the process of evolution itself. A hypothesis is formulated concerning the function of myth in the emergence of Homo sapiens, namely, to motivate the action required (...)
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  • Global cooperation achieved through small behavioral changes among strangers.G. Hartvigsen, L. Worden & S. A. Levin - 2000 - Complexity 5 (3):14.
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  • First-person current.Paul L. Harris - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):48-49.
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  • Context-dependent social evaluation in 4.5-month-old human infants: the role of domain-general versus domain-specific processes in the development of social evaluation. [REVIEW]J. K. Hamlin - 2014 - Frontiers in Psychology 5.
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  • Music and dance as a coalition signaling system.Edward H. Hagen & Gregory A. Bryant - 2003 - Human Nature 14 (1):21-51.
    Evidence suggests that humans might have neurological specializations for music processing, but a compelling adaptationist account of music and dance is lacking. The sexual selection hypothesis cannot easily account for the widespread performance of music and dance in groups (especially synchronized performances), and the social bonding hypothesis has severe theoretical difficulties. Humans are unique among the primates in their ability to form cooperative alliances between groups in the absence of consanguineal ties. We propose that this unique form of social organization (...)
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  • On behalf of phenomenological parity for the attitudes.Keith Gunderson - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):46-47.
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  • The primary/secondary distinction of psychopathy: A clinical perspective.Gisli H. Gudjonsson - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):558-559.
    In this brief commentary the author concentrates on the treatment perspectives of Mealey's model. The main weakness of the model is that it does not provide a satisfactory theoretical connection between treatment and different types of target behavior. Even within the primary-secondary distinction, there are large individual differences that should not be overlooked in the planning of treatment.
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  • Altruism and the golden rule.Jonathan Goodman - 2014 - Zygon 49 (2):381-395.
    This essay addresses recent claims about the compatibility of the sociobiological theory of reciprocal altruism with standard Western formulations of the Golden Rule. Derek Parfit claims that the theory of reciprocal altruism teaches us to be “reciprocal altruists,” who benefit only those people from whom we can reasonably expect benefits in the future. The Golden Rule, on the other hand, teaches us to benefit anyone regardless of their intention or ability to return the favor, or as Parfit puts it, the (...)
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  • The Biological Essence of Law.Hendrik Gommer - 2012 - Ratio Juris 25 (1):59-84.
    This paper contends that law is in essence an evolutionary phenomenon that can, and indeed should, be studied in the light of biological mechanisms. Law can be seen as an extended phenotype of underlying genes. In addition, legal systems can be seen as congruous to genetic mechanisms. Properties of genes have an impact on legal systems in a fractal-like manner. Hence, it is not surprising that notions of stability, replication, and reciprocity that are important in biological systems will also be (...)
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  • Functionalism, the theory-theory and phenomenology.Alvin I. Goldman - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):101-108.
    The ordinary understanding and ascription of mental states is a multiply complex subject. Widely discussed approaches to the subject, such as functionalism and the theory-theory (TT), have many variations and interpretations. No surprise, then, that there are misunderstandings and disagreements, which place many items on the agenda. Unfortunately, the multiplicity of issues raised by the commentators and the limitations of space make it impossible to give a full reply to everyone. My response is divided into five topics: (1) Which version(s) (...)
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  • Competing accounts of belief-task performance.Alvin I. Goldman - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):43-44.
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  • Toward a more complete integration of evolutionary and other perspectives on age preferences in mates.Norval D. Glenn - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (1):100-100.
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  • Evolution, biosocial behavior and coercive sexuality.Brian A. Gladue - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):388-389.
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  • On the adaptive advantage of always being right (even when one is not).Nathalia L. Gjersoe & Bruce M. Hood - 2009 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 32 (6):521-522.
    We propose another positive illusion that fits with McKay & Dennett's (M&D's) criteria for adaptive misbeliefs. This illusion is pervasive in adult reasoning but we focus on its prevalence in children's developing theories. It is a strongly held conviction arising from normal functioning of the doxastic system that confers adaptive advantage on the individual.
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  • Genetics, functional anatomy and coercive behavior.Michael T. Ghiselin - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):388-388.
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  • Rape: The perfect adaptationist story.Nicola J. Gavey & Russell D. Gray - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):386-388.
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  • The evolutionary psychology of priesthood celibacy.Jennifer J. Freyd & J. Q. Johnson - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):385-385.
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  • Animals, science, and morality.R. G. Frey - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):22-22.
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  • Methodological Consilience of Evolutionary Ethics and Cognitive Science of Religion.Juraj Franek - 2016 - Journal of Cognition and Culture 16 (1-2):144-170.
    For the larger part of modern western intellectual history, it has been assumed that the study of morality and religion requires special methodology, insulated from, and in some important aspects incongruent with, the scientific method commonly used in the realm of natural sciences. Furthermore, even if it would be granted that moral and religious behavior is amendable to scientific analysis, the prospects of using evolutionary theory in particular to do the heavy lifting in explanation of these phenomena have been bleak, (...)
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  • Evolution and the classification of social behavior.Patrick Forber & Rory Smead - 2015 - Biology and Philosophy 30 (3):405-421.
    Recent studies in the evolution of cooperation have shifted focus from altruistic to mutualistic cooperation. This change in focus is purported to reveal new explanations for the evolution of prosocial behavior. We argue that the common classification scheme for social behavior used to distinguish between altruistic and mutualistic cooperation is flawed because it fails to take into account dynamically relevant game-theoretic features. This leads some arguments about the evolution of cooperation to conflate dynamical scenarios that differ regarding the basic conditions (...)
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  • Hormonal Mechanisms for Regulation of Aggression in Human Coalitions.Mark V. Flinn, Davide Ponzi & Michael P. Muehlenbein - 2012 - Human Nature 23 (1):68-88.
    Coalitions and alliances are core aspects of human behavior. All societies recognize alliances among communities, usually based in part on kinship and marriage. Aggression between groups is ubiquitous, often deadly, fueled by revenge, and can have devastating effects on general human welfare. Given its significance, it is surprising how little we know about the neurobiological and hormonal mechanisms that underpin human coalitionary behavior. Here we first briefly review a model of human coalitionary behavior based on a process of runaway social (...)
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  • The epigenesis of sociopathy.Aurelio José Figueredo - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):556-557.
    Mealey distinguishes two types of sociopathy: (1) or obligate, and (2) or facultative. Either sociopathy evolved twice, or one form is derived from the other, e.g., through: (1) genetic assimilation generating polymorphism in the relative strength of biases favoring the development of otherwise facultative strategies, or (2) independently heritable but strategically relevant characteristics biasing the optimal selection of facultative strategies.
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  • Does rape equal sex plus violence?Aurelio J. Figueredo - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):384-385.
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  • Goldman has not defeated folk functionalism.James H. Fetzer - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):42-43.
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  • Psychopathology: Type or trait?H. J. Eysenck - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):555-556.
    Mealey proposes two categorical classes of sociopath, primary and secondary. I criticize this distinction on the basis that constructs of this kind have proved unrealistic in personality taxonomy and that dimensional systems capture reality much more successfully. I suggest how such a system could work in this particular context.
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  • The role of emotion in sociopathy: Contradictions and unanswered questions.Nancy Eisenberg - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):553-554.
    Emotion is critical in Mealey's conceptual arguments. However, several of her assertions about the role of emotion in sociopathy are problematic. Questions are raised regarding the link between lack of anxiety and low levels of secondary emotions such as love and sympathy, the argument that sociopaths are low in anxiety but high in neuroticism, and the designation of anxiety as a secondary emotion.
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  • Coercive sexuality and dominance.Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):383-384.
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  • The concept of intentionality: Invented or innate?Simon Baron-Cohen - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):29-30.
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  • You can cheat people, but not nature!John Barresi - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):544-545.
    The psychological mechanisms implicated in psychopathy do not limit their activity to those behaviors that support a cheater strategy in social games. They result in a number of other clearly maladaptive behaviors that do not directly involve other individuals. Thus, any gains that might arise from the use of a cheater strategy in social situations are probably lost elsewhere.
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  • The use of moralistic statements in social manipulation: A reply to Roy A. Rappaport.Lee Cronk - 1994 - Zygon 29 (3):351-355.
    Rappaport's comment includes several errors. First, he conflates manipulation and deceit. Second, he confuses the rationalism of the evolutionary biological analysis of organisms with the rationalism (or lack thereof) of the motivational and cognitive structures of the organisms under study. Third, his moralistic judgment of my focus on manipulation implies that scientists should not only not explore but should also suppress such unsettling ideas. We will make little progress in understanding morality and in fostering truly moral behavior if we refuse (...)
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  • Animal experimentation: pro and con arguments using the theory of evolution. [REVIEW]Anders Nordgren - 2002 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 5 (1):23-31.
    The theory of evolution has beenused in arguments regarding animalexperimentation. Two such arguments areanalyzed, one against and one in favor. Eachargument stresses the relevance of the theoryof evolution to normative ethics but attemptsexplicitly to avoid the so-called naturalisticfallacy.According to the argument against animalexperimentation, the theory of evolution`undermines' the idea of a special humandignity and supports `moral individualism'. Thelatter view implies that if it is wrong to usehumans in experiments, then it is also wrong touse animals, unless there are relevantdifferences between (...)
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  • Blinded by “science”: How not to think about social problems.John Dupré - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (2):382-383.
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  • A neuropsychology of deception and self-deception.Roger A. Drake - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):552-553.
    As more criminals are imprisoned, other individuals change their behavior to replace them, as predicted by the theory of strategic behavior. The physiological correlates of sociopathy suggest that research in cognitive neuroscience can lead toward a solution. Promising pathways include building upon current knowledge of self-deceit, the independence of positive and negative emotions, the lateralization of risk and caution, and the conditions promoting prosocial behavior.
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  • Epistemology, ethics, and evolution.Strachan Donnelley - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):18-19.
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  • Continuing a long tradition.Donald A. Dewsbury - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (1):98-98.
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  • On Singer: More argument, less prescriptivism.David DeGrazia - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):18-18.
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  • Other minds and other species.Marian Stamp Dawkins - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):49-61.
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  • Political Alliance Formation and Cooperation Networks in the Utah State Legislature.Connor A. Davis, Daniel Redhead & Shane J. Macfarlan - 2022 - Human Nature 33 (1):1-21.
    Social network analysis has become an increasingly important tool among political scientists for understanding legislative cooperation in modern, democratic nation-states. Recent research has demonstrated the influence that group affinity (homophily) and mutual exchanges (reciprocity) have in structuring political relationships. However, this literature has typically focused on political cooperation where costs are low, relationships are not exclusive, and/or partisan competition is high. Patterns of legislative behavior in alternative contexts are less clear and remain largely unexamined. Here, we compare theoretical expectations of (...)
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  • A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Uncertainty on Reproductive Behaviors.Jeff Davis & Daniel Werre - 2008 - Human Nature 19 (4):426-452.
    Uncertainty exerts powerful influences on life history decisions. This has been demonstrated in experiments on nonhumans and in mathematical models. Studies of human populations are suggestive of the effects of uncertainty, but they rely on measures of environmental stress. In this paper, we derive a new measure of uncertainty, upsilon (υ), for use in non-experimental studies. We estimate its association with reproductive behaviors in a longitudinal panel sample of adolescents in the United States. Results show upsilon’s internal structure is consistent (...)
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  • The anthropology of folk psychology.Steven Daniel - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):38-39.
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  • Animal suffering: The practical way forward.Robert Dantzer - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):17-18.
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  • Evolutionary theories of morality and the manipulative use of signals.Lee Cronk1 - 1994 - Zygon 29 (1):81-101.
    Several attempts have recently been made to explain moral systems and moral sentiments in light of evolutionary biological theory. It may be helpful to modify and extend this project with the help of a theory of communication developed by ethologists. The core of this approach is the idea that signals are best seen as attempts to manipulate others rather than as attempts to inform them. This addition helps to clarify some problematic areas in the evolutionary study of morals, and it (...)
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  • Sex differences in age preferences for mates: Primary and secondary predictions from evolutionary theory.Charles Crawford - 1992 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 15 (1):97-98.
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  • Prisoner's Dilemma, Chicken, and mixedstrategy evolutionary equilibria.Andrew M. Colman - 1995 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18 (3):550-551.
    Mealey's interesting interpretation of sociopathy is based on an inappropriate two-person game model. A multiperson, compound game version of Chicken would be more suitable, because a population engaging in random pairwise interactions with that structure would evolve to an equilibrium in which a fixed proportion of strategic choices was exploitative, antisocial, and risky, as required by Mealey's interpretation.
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  • The tale of a moderate normative skeptic.Brendan Cline - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (1):141-161.
    While Richard Joyce’s moral skepticism might seem to be an extreme metaethical view, it is actually far more moderate than it might first appear. By articulating four challenges facing his approach to moral skepticism, I argue that Joyce’s moderation is, in fact, a theoretical liability. First, the fact that Joyce is not skeptical about normativity in general makes it possible to develop close approximations to morality, lending support to moderate moral revisionism over moral error theory. Second, Joyce relies on strong, (...)
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  • The naked truth about first-person knowledge.Michael Chandler & Jeremy Carpendale - 1993 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (1):36-37.
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  • On the neurobiological basis of suffering.C. Richard Chapman - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):16-17.
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