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Related Experiment Videos

Are we born moral?

John Gray1

  • 1London School of Economics.

The New York Review of Books
|May 22, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review examines how nature and evolution shaped our universal sense of morality. It explores the biological and philosophical underpinnings of right and wrong in humans and primates.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Moral Psychology
  • Primatology

Background:

  • Reviews two seminal works: Marc Hauser's "Moral Minds" and Frans de Waal's "Primates and Philosophers."
  • These books investigate the evolutionary origins and biological basis of human morality.
  • Explores the concept of a universal moral grammar.

Observation:

  • Hauser argues for an innate, evolved moral faculty in the human brain.
  • De Waal presents evidence for moral behaviors and emotions in non-human primates.
  • Compares and contrasts the evolutionary pathways of morality in different species.

Findings:

  • Both authors suggest that morality is not solely a product of culture or religion.
  • Evidence points to a shared evolutionary history influencing moral decision-making.

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  • Moral systems may be rooted in evolved social instincts and cognitive mechanisms.

    • Implications:

    • Understanding the evolutionary basis of morality can inform ethical and legal systems.
    • Highlights the continuity of moral sentiments across species.
    • Suggests that a universal sense of fairness and justice may be biologically ingrained.