[MD] Is morality Hard Wired?

[David M]

Hi Platt

But coercion requires cooperation.
Let's get together later and bring some large sticks?

DM


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <pholden at davtv.com>
To: <moq_discuss at moqtalk.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 10:12 PM
Subject: Re: [MD] Is morality Hard Wired?


> Quoting Krimel <Krimel at Krimel.com>:
>
>> [Platt]
>> Who is this "we" you speak of? A suicide bomber? Seems she would be 
>> excluded
>> from the hard-wired morality of playing nice that some science types are
>> claiming evolved from our animal ancestors -- the monkey people.
>>
>> [Krimel]
>> When Shermer talks about this he notes the difference between, within 
>> group
>> violence and between group violence. Among humans we call this tribal
>> warfare. Suicide bomber are practicing between group violence. They are 
>> also
>> subject to substantial social pressure which may override hardwiring.
>>
>> To say that we inherit certain traits does not mean we can not overcome
>> them. It really just speaks to the difficulty in doing so.
>
> Human history, especially of the twentieth century, belies the notion that
> hard-wired benevolence is difficult to overcome. It suggests instead that
> we are hard-wired for aggression, especially against those who are 
> strangers
> and/or different than us. Co-operation is pretty much limited to one's own
> in-group. Or, as Pirsig wrote, "Cooperation without coercion is a 
> devastating
> fiction."
>
>
>
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