From biology to consciousness to morality

Ursula Goodenough; Terrence W. Deacon

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9744.2003.00540.x

From biology to consciousness to morality

Ursula Goodenough, Terrence W. Deacon

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social animals are provisioned with prosocial orientations that operate to transcend self-interest. Morality, as used here, describes human versions of such orientations. We explore the evolutionary antecedents of morality in the context of emergentism, giving considerable attention to the biological traits that undergird awareness and our emergent human forms of mind. We suggest that our moral frames of mind emerge from our primate prosocial capacities, transfigured and valenced by our symbolic languages, cultures, and religions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	801-819
Number of pages	19
Journal	Zygon
Volume	38
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2003.00540.x
State	Published - 2003
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Biology
Brains
Consciousness
Culture
Emergence
Moral ideals
Moral motivation
Morality
Symbolic language
Virtue

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10.1111/j.1467-9744.2003.00540.x

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KW - Consciousness

KW - Culture

KW - Emergence

KW - Moral ideals

KW - Moral motivation

KW - Morality

KW - Symbolic language

KW - Virtue

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From biology to consciousness to morality

Abstract

Keywords

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