Evolutionary Psychology - I need an updated information resource
invite response
2023 Sep 5, 1:00am 579 views 3 comments
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1
DhammaStep
2023 Sep 5, 7:00am
I'm not quite sure it's exactly what you're looking for but I find myself applying Robert Kegan's theories on a daily basis, fairly accurately, when it comes to morality on an individual basis. "The Evolving Self" and "In Over Our Heads" are good reads and considered favorably in the field, although they are 20/30 years old by now themselves. As usual, all theories should be considered only a part of a whole when applying to people.
2
Undoctored
2023 Sep 5, 11:02am
Undoctored
2023 Sep 5, 11:02am
Can you explain the essence of your atheist friend’s “struggle”? Is it not enough to say that communities where moral rules are enforced tend to survive and grow, whereas immoral ones collapse? That the rules of “moral” communities originally came about by chance and they are still here because they are simply the “fittest”? If not, what does evolutionary psychology add?
3
richwicks
2023 Sep 5, 6:00pm
richwicks
2023 Sep 5, 6:00pm
Undoctored says
I stated that poorly. I think he's struggling. He gets drawn into religious discussions all the time, and I'm tying to help him arm himself better. If I explain evolutionary psychology to a really religious person, suddenly their misguided idea of "where does morality come from absent a god??" goes away.
Undoctored says
When I last read up on evolutionary psychology THIRTY YEARS ago, they were like "why does homosexuality exist? Nobody knows, but here are the current possibilities that we think maybe explain it.." - The field was brand new 30 years ago, there's got to be updates to it.
I don't want bother him to read what must be an outdated book. There's been revisions and re-releases, but The Moral Animal REALLY is like the Origin of the Species. I still recommend people read the Origin of the Species though because you can see Darwin's thinking.
Can you explain the essence of your atheist friend’s “struggle”?
I stated that poorly. I think he's struggling. He gets drawn into religious discussions all the time, and I'm tying to help him arm himself better. If I explain evolutionary psychology to a really religious person, suddenly their misguided idea of "where does morality come from absent a god??" goes away.
Undoctored says
Is it not enough to say that communities where moral rules are enforced tend to survive and grow, whereas immoral ones collapse? That the rules of “moral” communities originally came about by chance and they are still here because they are simply the “fittest”? If not, what does evolutionary psychology add?
When I last read up on evolutionary psychology THIRTY YEARS ago, they were like "why does homosexuality exist? Nobody knows, but here are the current possibilities that we think maybe explain it.." - The field was brand new 30 years ago, there's got to be updates to it.
I don't want bother him to read what must be an outdated book. There's been revisions and re-releases, but The Moral Animal REALLY is like the Origin of the Species. I still recommend people read the Origin of the Species though because you can see Darwin's thinking.
The book I read, nearly 30 years ago was The Moral Animal by Robert Wright;
https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Animal-Science-Evolutionary-Psychology/dp/0679763996
The concept is that in any social species, not just humanity, a code of conduct is created for survival of the species as well as the individual - this is the foundation (it's hypothesized) of morality. This was considered a "pop science" back in the 1990's, but it's a serious area of investigation now.
I've kept up on it, but I don't know of a good general resource for it that is more modern. The book of The Moral Animal is to evolutionary psychology as The Origin of the Species is to evolution - very outdated.
Does anybody have a better source than this very early source I know of?
I'm trying to teach somebody but what I have is the most basic book, and a lot of papers and concepts which is too much chaff instead of wheat. Does anybody know a more modern book that explains the concept?
He is struggling to understand morality absent a god. This explains it. He's an atheist, but struggles to understand where morality may come from and I'm looking for a source that can explain the concept. Evolutionary psychology is our latest stab at it. Can somebody give me a more modern book on the concept?