From: Cmekve@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 07 2003 - 20:07:01 EDT
In a message dated 10/6/2003 6:22:09 PM Mountain Standard Time,
tdavis@messiah.edu writes:
> Given what we are presently discussing, this does seem to have come into my
> mailbox at an opportune time...
>
> ted
>
>
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> Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2003 17:04:34 -0400
> From: "Karin Sypura" <ksypura@aaas.org>
> Subject: October 16, 2003: "Wild Justice and Fair Play: Animal
> origins of social morality," AAAS Program of Dialogue on
> Science, Ethics, and Religion
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> To: undisclosed-recipients:;
>
>
>
> AAAS Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion Presents:
>
>
>
> Wild Justice and Fair Play:
>
> Animal origins of social morality
>
>
>
> http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/seminar/
>
> Thursday October 16, 2003 6:00 PM
>
> AAAS, Auditorium, 2nd floor
>
> 1200 New York Avenue, NW Washington DC, 20005
>
>
>
>
>
> Reception beginning at 5:15 pm in the foyer outside the auditorium.
>
> Please RSVP from the above webpage if you plan on attending.
>
>
>
> Description:
>
> Dr. Bekoff will argue that we can learn much about "wild justice" and the
> evolutionary origins of social morality by studying social play behavior in
> group-living animals through interdisciplinary research. Among the questions
> that Dr. Bekoff will address are: What are the evolutionary roots of
> cooperation, fairness, trust, forgiveness, and morality? How do animals negotiate
> agreements to cooperate, to forgive, to behave fairly, to develop trust? Why did
> play behavior evolve? What is the taxonomic distribution of cognitive skills
> and emotional capacities necessary for individuals to be able to behave fairly,
> to empathize, to behave morally? Dr. Bekoff will conclude that there is
> strong selection for cooperative fair play in which individuals establish and
> maintain a social contract. Further, in studying the role of play behavior in
> the evolution of social morality, it is important to study a wide range of
> animal behaviors and to avoid “primatocentrism.”
>
> <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
>
> <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Speakers:
>
>
> Marc Bekoff
> Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
> Universityof Colorado<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
>
> <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
>
> Nancy Howell<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
>
> St. Paul School of Theology<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
>
>
>
> Project Coordinator
> AAAS Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion
> http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/
> <A HREF="mailto:ksypura@aaas.org">ksypura@aaas.org</A>
>
>
Should Bekoff's theory be any surprise (or E.O. Wilson's, for that matter)?
To borrow Jastrow's metaphor, this seems like Bekoff and Wilson have climbed
the scientific mountain of sociobiology and found theologians sitting at the
top.
Morality emerging from nature red in tooth and claw is probably what we
should expect from the God who makes a kingdom out of slaves, righteous people out
of sinners, and brings life out of death. It's the theology of the cross.
Loren Haarsma (at the July ASA meeting) said as much from a Reformed position,
George M. has emphasized it here for us Lutheran's, and Orthodox theologian
John Behr makes a similar point regarding the early church fathers. As Behr put
it (summarizing the position of Origen, Basil, and Gregory):
"...the unchanging identity of the Word of God is revealed through the cross,
and everything else is patterned upon this." [The Paschal foundation of
Christian theology, 2001, St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, v. 45, p. 115-136]
Karl
*********************
Karl V. Evans
cmekve@aol.com
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