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Morality is Based on Social Instincts [Archive] - Behavior OnLine Forums
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TomJrzk
December 10th, 2006, 04:17 PM
Yet more evidence. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=D25A15F4-E7F2-99DF-3238208B0D11D7AB&sc=I100322 says:


Sympathy, empathy, right and wrong are feelings that we share with other animals; even the best part of human nature, the part that cares about ethics and justice, is also part of nature.We never needed a supreme being to give us morality; it's in our genes, as is all of Evolutionary Psychology.
James Brody
December 11th, 2006, 05:08 PM
Morality a social instinct...no problem!

Be aware, there are "stories" in EP, some of them of a fundamental nature, spun from information that was available at the time...

Thanks for your posting!

JimB
Janet Doron
December 12th, 2006, 02:44 AM
Right, that's both logical and demonstrable.
But it brings to mind a related issue:

It is harder for me to trace back (from an EP point of view) the roots of what is described as a psychological need for self-transcendence, and to point to its contribution to survival/society, especially considering the fact that this is usually an individual rather than a social experience. Any thoughts or references would be welcome !

Janet.
TomJrzk
December 12th, 2006, 11:39 AM
the roots of what is described as a psychological need for self-transcendence...Any thoughtsI have thoughts, but they might not even apply to what you're asking.

My thought is that our first goal is survival. Also, we have the capacity to realize that our bodies will not last forever. The conflict between those ideas forces us to look beyond ourselves for immortality.