Overview

"Do good guys finish last? Did we evolve to look out for number one? Are we bad by nature? At first glance, the theory of evolution seems to imply that all organisms are evolved to be selfish.In this book, evolutionary psychologist Dennis Krebs explains how virtuous behaviors such as altruism, justice, honesty, loyalty, self-control, purity, and respect for authority, have evolved in humans and other species. He argues that the key to solving puzzles of morality--such as what it is, how we acquire moral traits, why we sometimes behave badly, and how we make moral decisions--lies in figuring out what adaptive functions moral traits served in early human environments and how they are influenced by social learning, culture, and strategic social interactions in the modern world. Arguing that the primary function of virtuous behaviors is to enable individuals to advance their own interests and examining the moral decision-making mechanisms that evolved to serve these functions, this book considers the ""new brain"" mechanisms that are unique to humans and ""old brain"" mechanisms that we share with other species, illuminating how these work in conjunction with each other to guide our moral choices. Survival of the Virtuous is accessibly written for academic and scholarly readers interested in understanding how moral traits evolved in the human species."

Full Product Details

Author:   Dennis L. Krebs (Professor Emeritus, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 22.60cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 15.20cm
Weight:   0.522kg
ISBN:  

9780197629482

ISBN 10:   0197629482
Pages:   296
Publication Date:   24 July 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Preface and Overview Chapter 1: The Puzzle of Morality Chapter 2: What is a Moral Animal? PART I: THE EVOLUTION OF MORALITY Chapter 3: Why We are not Selfish by Nature: The Function of Morality Chapter 4: The Evolution of Complex Moral Strategies and Maladaptive Mistakes Chapter 5: The Emergence of Morality Through Strategic Interaction Chapter 6: Primate Morality and the Evolution of Moral Norms Chapter 7: The Cultural Evolution of Morality PART II: PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO MORALITY Chapter 8: Psychological Accounts of Morality Chapter 9: Reframing Psychological Theories of Morality PART III: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SOURCES OF VIRTUE Chapter 10: Self Control Chapter 11: Purity Chapter 12: Respect for Authority Chapter 13: Fairness and Honesty Chapter 14: A Sense of Justice Chapter 15: Biological Sources of Altruism Chapter 16: Psychological Sources of Altruism and Loyalty Chapter 17: Empathy and Altruism Chapter 18: Human Nature and the Nature of Morality

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Author Information

Dennis Krebs received his BA from the University of British Columbia and his PhD from Harvard University. He served as a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University. He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has published several books and more than 100 articles on altruism, morality, and evolutionary psychology.

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