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A philosophical exploration of how Darwinian evolution reshapes our understanding of morality, human nature, and ethical life.
How should we understand morality considering evolution? Does Darwinism undermine ethics—or deepen it? In this ambitious and wide-ranging study, Michael Bradie offers the first sustained philosophical examination of the relationship between evolutionary ethics and evolutionary epistemology.
Drawing on centuries of thought—from eighteenth-century British moralists to contemporary debates—Bradie brings analytic clarity to a field often marked by confusion and controversy. He carefully distinguishes the assumptions and methods of evolutionary theory and moral philosophy, illuminating where they converge, where they conflict, and where they are too easily conflated.
Engaging major thinkers such as Michael Ruse, Robert J. Richards, R. D. Alexander, E. O. Wilson, and Peter Singer, Bradie reconstructs and evaluates competing approaches to:
· Altruism, benevolence, and self-love
· The concept of human nature
· Sociobiology and the biological basis of morality
· Darwinism and the moral status of animals
· The philosophical implications of evolutionary theory for ethics
More than a historical survey, The Secret Chain advances a powerful original thesis about the biological roots of morality and the continuing relevance of Darwin for moral philosophy. Bradie’s balanced, self-critical approach avoids simplistic reductionism while refusing to ignore the profound challenges posed by evolutionary science.
"Bradie's is the first book to specifically focus upon the relationship between evolutionary ethics and evolutionary epistemology. The literature is filled with controversy largely due to scholars pulling from both traditions without careful regard for their differences and presuppositions. Bradie uses his analytic philosophical training to clarify the positions of virtually every scholar, from the eighteenth century to the present time, who has had something important to say about the relationship between evolution and ethics. As if this superb philosophical reconstruction were not enough, Bradie also develops a position of his own that will surely attract as much attention as the works of Michael Ruse, Robert Richards, R. D. Alexander, E. O. Wilson, and Peter Singer. Bradie's reconstructive analysis and original thesis will make a valuable contribution to the field." — David Edward Shaner, Furman University
"This book will make an excellent addition to the growing philosophical literature that deals with foundational issues of ethics from a scientific perspective. The author is both self-critical and has a critical awareness of the many pitfalls that confront workers in this field. His book is a very useful, analytical and critical discussion of a wide range of literature on the relation between evolution and ethics." — Alan Gewirth, University of Chicago
Michael Bradie is Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Ethics and Evolution
The Secret Chain
Epistemology from an Evolutionary Point of View
Ethics from an Evolutionary Point of View
Morals and Models
Evolution and Ethics
2 Altruism, Benevolence, and Self-Love in Eighteenth Century British Moral Philosophy
Introduction
Benevolence and Self-Love from Hobbes to Mackintosh
The Eighteenth Century Legacy
3 The Moral Realm of Nature: Nineteenth Century Views on Ethics and Evolution
Introduction
Natural Facts and Natural Values
Nature, Culture, and Conflict
4 Human Nature
Introduction
The Concept of Human Nature
Human Nature and Moral Theory
Human Nature and Ideology
Does Darwinism Undermine the Concept of Human Nature?
5 Three Contemporary Approaches to Evolutionary Ethics
Introduction
The Wisdom of the Genes: The Sociobiology of Ethics
Richard Alexander and the Biological Basis of Morality
Robert Richards and the Revised Theory
General Conclusion
6 Darwinism and the Moral Status of Animals
Introduction
Singer's Expanding Circle Argument
James Rachels on "Moral Individualism"
Rodd on the Rights of Animals and Our Duties Toward Them
Conclusion
7 Final Reflections
Summary of the Argument
The Biological Roots of Morality
The Relevance of Darwin for Moral Philosophy
Bibliography
Index