Morality is Based on Social Instincts
 

Yet more evidence. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?art...7AB&sc=I100322 says:

We never needed a supreme being to give us morality; it's in our genes, as is all of Evolutionary Psychology.

Re: Morality is Based on Social Instincts
 

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

Re: Morality is Based on Social Instincts
 

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.

Re: Morality is Based on Social Instincts
 

I 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.