Why do people behave in moral ways in some circumstances, but not in
others? In order to account fully for morality, Dennis Krebs departs
from traditional approaches to morality that suggest that children
acquire morals through socialization, cultural indoctrination, and
moral reasoning. He suggests that such approaches can be subsumed,
refined, and revised gainfully within an evolutionary framework.
Relying on evolutionary theory, Krebs offers an account of how notions
of morality originated in the human species. He updates Darwin's early
ideas about how dispositions to obey authority, to control antisocial
urges, and to behave in altruistic and cooperative ways originated and
evolved, then goes on to update Darwin's account of how humans acquired
a moral sense.
Krebs explains why the theory of evolution does not dictate that all
animals are selfish and immoral by nature. On the contrary, he argues
that moral behaviors and moral judgments evolved to serve certain
functions. Krebs examines theory and research on the evolution of
primitive forms of prosocial conduct displayed by humans and other
animals, then discusses the evolution of uniquely human prosocial
behaviors. He describes how a sense of morality originated during the
course of human evolution through strategic social interactions among
members of small groups, and how it was expanded and refined in modern
societies, explaining how this sense gives rise to culturally universal
and culturally relative moral norms. Krebs argues that although humans'
unique cognitive abilities endow them with the capacity to engage in
sophisticated forms of moral reasoning, people rarely live up their
potential in their everyday lives. Four conceptions of what it means
to be a moral person are identified, with the conclusion that people
are naturally inclined to meet the standards of each conception under
certain conditions. The key to making the world a more moral place
lies in creating environments in which good guys finish first and
cheaters fail to prosper.
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