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The Challenge of Biological Determinism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2009

Rosemary Rodd
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Extract

Biological theories about the nature and origin of ethics are important, j both because they may be largely true, and because distorted versions are sometimes effective in moulding people's ethical beliefs in curious i ways. The pernicious effects (real and supposed) which sometimes follow the application of biology to ethics stem from an assortment of misinterpretations, while, correctly interpreted, even the most extreme biological determinism need not be supposed to diminish the worth of conscious individuals, nor be incompatible with genuinely ethical behaviour.

Type
Discussion
Information
Philosophy , Volume 62 , Issue 239 , January 1987 , pp. 84 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 1987

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References

1 See a series of exchanges between Mackie, J. L., Mary, Midgley and Richard, Dawkins: ‘The Law of the Jungle’ (Philosophy No. 206 (October 1978)) by Mackie; ‘Gene-Juggling’ (Philosophy No. 210 (October 1979)) by Midgley; ‘In Defence of Selfish Genes’ (Philosophy No. 218 (October 1981) by Dawkins, ; ‘Genes and Egoism’ (Philosophy No. 218 (October 1981)) by, Mackie, , and ‘Selfish Genes and Social Darwinism’ (Philosophy No. 225 (July 1983)) by Midgley, .Google Scholar

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