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Morality is real, objective, and natural.

Michael Shermer1

  • 1Skeptic Magazine, Altadena, California, and Chapman University, Orange, California.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|May 21, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Morality is an objective, natural aspect of human evolution, rooted in survival and flourishing. Moral progress is quantifiable, driven by advancements in social and moral sciences, mirroring progress in physical sciences.

Keywords:
moralitynaturalobjective

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Moral Philosophy
  • Social Sciences

Background:

  • Morality is often debated as subjective or constructed.
  • Understanding the natural basis of human morality is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish morality as real, objective, and natural.
  • To demonstrate that moral progress is quantifiable and scientifically achievable.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical argumentation based on evolutionary principles.
  • Analysis of causality in social and moral sciences.
  • Establishing survival and flourishing of sentient beings as a moral starting point.

Main Results:

  • Morals are argued to be an inherent part of human evolutionary heritage.
  • Morality is defined by actions and thoughts concerning the survival and flourishing of moral agents.
  • Moral progress is linked to improved understanding of social and moral causality.

Conclusions:

  • Morality is an objective, natural phenomenon rooted in evolutionary biology.
  • Advancements in understanding causality drive moral progress.
  • The survival and flourishing of sentient beings form the foundation of objective morality.