Evolutionary ethics

Evolutionary theory is unique in its ability to inflame passions and catalyse debate. One particularly heated area of debate concerns the impact of the theory for ethics. Some flatly deny that evolution has any relevance to ethics, a view they support by arguing that values cannot be derived from mere facts about the world. Others dispute this, although among this group there is little consensus about what exactly the moral implications of Darwin's theory might be. Some argue that the theory supports laissez-faire social policies and the abolition of social welfare. Others argue that it forces us to rethink and recalibrate our moral priorities, and to reassess the value we place on the lives of humans v. other animals. Finally there are those who draw a darker conclusion, suggesting that the truth of evolutionary theory undermines morality altogether. In the remaining chapters, we'll consider each of these views in turn.

Before we do that, though, we'll examine the evolutionary underpinnings of morality.