The evolution of moral progress and biomedical moral enhancement.

Ingmar Persson,Julian Savulescu

doi:10.1111/bioe.12592

Ingmar Persson, Julian Savulescu

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12592

Copy DOI

Journal: Bioethics	Publication Date: May 20, 2019
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Gothenburg, University of Oxford

Abstract

In The Evolution of Moral Progress Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell advance an evolutionary explanation of moral progress by morality becoming more ‘inclusivist’. We are prepared to accept this explanation as far as it goes, but argue that it fails to explain how morality can become inclusivist in the fuller sense they intend. In fact, it even rules out inclusivism in their intended sense of moral progress, since they believe that human altruism and prosocial attitudes are essentially parochial. We also respond to their charge that the possibility of moral enhancement by biomedical means that we have defended in numerous publications assumes that moral attitudes are biologically hard‐wired to an extent that implies that they are resilient to the influence of cognitive or cultural factors. Quite the contrary, we think they are more open to such influence than they seem to do.

Highlights

In The Evolution of Moral Progress,[1 ] Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell target the apparent problem that ‘evolutionary accounts of morality paint a pessimistic picture, suggesting that certain types of moral prog‐ ress are unrealistic or inappropriate for beings like us’
We are prepared to accept this explanation as far as it goes, but argue that it fails to explain how morality can become inclusivist in the fuller sense they intend. It even rules out inclusivism in their intended sense of moral progress, since they believe that human altruism and prosocial attitudes are essentially parochial
We respond to their charge that the possibility of moral enhancement by biomedical means that we have defended in numerous publications assumes that moral attitudes are biologically hard‐wired to an extent that implies that they are resilient to the influence of cognitive or cultural factors

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

In The Evolution of Moral Progress,[1 ] Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell target the apparent problem that ‘evolutionary accounts of morality paint a pessimistic picture, suggesting that certain types of moral prog‐ ress are unrealistic or inappropriate for beings like us’. According to such accounts, ‘humans are said to be “hard‐wired” for rather limited moral capacities’.

PERSSON and SAVULESCU

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES