Very long ago our ancestors had moral systems. Our current institutions are only a couple of thousand years old, which is really not old in the eyes of a biologist.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think we need to start thinking about grounding our moral systems in our biology.
If our moral attitudes are entirely the result of nonrational factors, such as gut feelings and the absorption of cultural norms, they should either be stable or randomly drift over time, like skirt lengths or the widths of ties. They shouldn't show systematic change over human history. But they do.
There is no system that is inherently moral if the participants themselves are not.
There's a lot to be done; I just see a total moral decay in our society.
Our moral traditions developed concurrently with our reason, not as its product.
Very ancient parts of the brain are involved in moral decision making.
Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad.
History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion.
We are naturally moral beings, but our environments can enhance - or, sadly, degrade - this innate moral sense.
I don't believe that we evolved moral psychology; it just doesn't seem plausible to me as a biological phenomenon.