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Natural sources of normativity
1Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Adolf Lorenz Gasse, 2, Altenberg A-3422, Austria. wayne.christensen@gmail.com
Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
|February 14, 2012
Summary
This study introduces a new naturalistic account of normativity, identifying basic valuational normativity in autonomous systems. It extends this to explain the normativity of functions and practical reasons, offering a robust grounding for these concepts.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Mind
- Metaphysics
- Philosophy of Biology
Background:
- Normativity presents a significant challenge for naturalistic philosophical accounts.
- Existing teleosemantic theories offer limited naturalistic grounding for mental normativity via biological proper function.
- These theories face criticisms and provide insufficient foundations for broader normativity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel naturalistic account of basic valuational normativity.
- To identify the origins of normativity within autonomous systems.
- To extend this account to encompass the normativity of functions and practical reasons.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of normativity in autonomous systems.
- Development of a foundational theory of valuational normativity.
- Extension of the theory to address functional and practical normativity.
Main Results:
- Identified a basic form of valuational normativity inherent in autonomous systems.
- Demonstrated the extension of this account to cover the normativity of biological functions.
- Showcased the applicability of the account to the normativity of practical reasons.
Conclusions:
- The proposed account offers a robust naturalistic grounding for normativity.
- Autonomous systems provide a basis for understanding fundamental valuational normativity.
- This framework successfully integrates functional and practical normativity within a unified naturalistic perspective.
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