Morality and Evolution

[J. Stew]

I think there was evolution in consciousness, and morals evolved with the ability to open into the awareness that is already there. Lions thinks about themselves, how to survive, so they take the appropriate measures to give themselves the best chance for survival. We do the same thing i.e. slaughtering cows to ensure our existence. The difference with us is that we can look outside of ourselves. We can look at our selves as objects and ask, how can I ensure my existence as well as everyone else's existence. This initial, idealistic idea provides the intention from which other ideas about putting the ideal in practice stem. All the ideas about what is best for everyone revolve around what is best for yourself, or how your personal freedom should be enjoyed by all. When there is freedom in mind, there is personal truth. From this personal truth stems ideas about how to show others truth. Morals get muddled because people see personal truth through the lens of their attachments to ideas. It's a communication problem basically. The personal truth is the same in two different people, but the differing attachments in people's minds deludes the clarity of the truth, which leads to different interpretations of what truth is. So as consciousness expands, as people realize their thoughts they hold to as truth are not Ultimate truth, but a manifestation of truth skewed by one's own ideas about what truth is, then the understanding of purpose becomes more directed towards present momentness. As one remains more presently, or just looks at what is in front of one's face instead of conceptualizing everything it encounters, one sees that the truth of reality is just what is, not a conceptual interpretation of it. This leads to more seeing clearly which deepens the understanding of what it is to be present or in the moment. As the ability to balance in the present moment moves from practice to natural skill, the consciousness expands to take in more which leads to a greater understanding of what is moral, what is the correct way to act, what does it mean to be present, where one can live truly and not in delusion of reality. This understanding is still conceptual, but it is a conceptual understanding from a vaster(sp?) awareness or consciousness which leads to a different approach to morale. It is a different understanding, but it is actually the same understanding, just a clearer version of it.

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Morality seems to have no place for any other species but man. Why is that?

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I think most if not all higher-order mammals have societal/group/pack rules regarding what is and what is not acceptable behavior.

[ctj]

See "The Evolution of Co-operation" by Axelrod (I'm on the road right now and can't provide the full citation, sorry)

He shows how co-operation is +EV and how it can become established in a population -- in an "Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma" environment it benefits an individual to punish 'cheaters'. Surprisingly, a simple 'tit-for-tat' strategy (punish once, then go back to co-operation until the next instance of cheating) was the most effective in computer simulations.

Note that he shows how co-operation can develop without resorting to 'group selection' (a no-no in evolutionary theory).

Regards,

C.T. Jackson

[atrifix]

Of course, the huge leap from cooperation to full-scale morality does not follow.

[chezlaw]

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Of course, the huge leap from cooperation to full-scale morality does not follow.

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Is it much of a leap? Realising that cooperation is beneficial is very hard for evolution so the evolved stratagy that results in cooperation is to care about other people.

We get pleasure/pain type stimuli (I think that is morality) from how we treat others so that we will behave in a cooperative manner. In the same way we get pleasure from sex so that we will behave in a reproductive manner.

chez

[atrifix]

It is possible that morality evolves. It may even be the case that morality evolves due to cooperative influences, predicted all the while by game theory. But it certainly does not follow merely from the cooperation outlined in the iterated prisoner's dilemma. There are any number of ways that cooperation can evolve without any reference to morality. That's all I meant.