Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

40.1K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
40.1K
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

516
In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
516
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

1.3K
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
1.3K
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

199
Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
199
Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

35.4K
Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.
35.4K
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

30.0K
Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
30.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Becoming Speciesist: How Children and Adults Differ in Valuing Animals by Species and Cognitive Capacity.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2025
Same author

Will Human-Animal Chimeras Cause Moral Confusion? Exploring Public Attitudes.

Journal of bioethical inquiry·2025
Same author

Medical assistance in dying for mental illness: a complex intervention requiring a correspondingly complex evaluation approach: commentary, Malhi et al.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2024
Same author

Are the folk utilitarian about animals?

Philosophical studies·2022
Same author

Humans first: Why people value animals less than humans.

Cognition·2022
Same author

When Helping Is Risky: The Behavioral and Neurobiological Trade-off of Social and Risk Preferences.

Psychological science·2021
Same journal

The reversal test: eliminating status quo bias in applied ethics.

Ethics·2006
Same journal

Paradoxes of abortion and prenatal injury.

Ethics·2006
Same journal

Invisible disability.

Ethics·2006
Same journal

The nonidentity problem, disability, and the role morality of prospective parents.

Ethics·2006
Same journal

At the margins of moral personhood.

Ethics·2006
Same journal

Causing disabled people to exist and causing people to be disabled.

Ethics·2006
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

5.1K

Evolution and Impartiality.

Guy Kahane1

  • 1Oxford University.

Ethics
|April 9, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary ethics arguments may fail to support universal benevolence. Appealing to evolution to debunk partial morality could undermine the view that suffering is bad, posing a dilemma for ethicists.

More Related Videos

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.2K
Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

11.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

5.1K
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.2K
Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

11.1K

Area of Science:

  • Moral Philosophy
  • Evolutionary Ethics
  • Metaethics

Background:

  • Sidgwick's dualism of practical reason presents a challenge in ethical theory.
  • Evolutionary considerations are proposed by Lazari-Radek and Singer to resolve this dualism.
  • Their argument suggests evolution debunks self-interested or partial moral considerations while preserving universal benevolence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the effectiveness of evolutionary debunking arguments in ethics.
  • To demonstrate that an appeal to evolution in ethics is potentially self-defeating.
  • To analyze the implications of evolutionary arguments for the principle of universal benevolence and the value of suffering.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
  • Examination of the logical structure of evolutionary debunking arguments.
  • Dilemma construction to expose potential contradictions in the proposed ethical framework.

Main Results:

  • Granting the premises of Lazari-Radek and Singer's argument leads to a self-defeating position.
  • A dilemma arises: either the evolutionary argument against partiality fails, or the conviction that suffering is bad must be abandoned.
  • The appeal to evolutionary debunking arguments in ethics is shown to be problematic.

Conclusions:

  • The use of evolutionary considerations to support universal benevolence is ultimately self-defeating.
  • Ethical theories, particularly utilitarianism, should be cautious about employing evolutionary debunking arguments.
  • A coherent ethical framework requires a consistent stance on the value of suffering and the validity of moral considerations.