RE: [asa] An Evolutionary Theory of Right and Wrong

As a practicing physicist, I cannot conceive how value notions like right and wrong can every come out of atoms and molecules. These notions require life, consciousness, and rationality, none of which is derivable from the purely physical. No, I have not read Hauser and I will see if our campus has the book. You tell me what Hauser's thesis is.

 
Moorad

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From: Pim van Meurs [mailto:pimvanmeurs@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wed 11/1/2006 12:23 PM
To: Alexanian, Moorad
Cc: Janice Matchett; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] An Evolutionary Theory of Right and Wrong

Concepts like right and wrong may seem to be hard to derive from the purely physical and yet that is what the work by Hauser et al suggest. Although right and wrong are concepts which may vary through time, vary amongst cultures etc. The evolutionary theory under discussion is the work by Hauser. Are you familiar with his work?

On Nov 1, 2006, at 7:37 AM, Alexanian, Moorad wrote:

        To makes sense of the topic of discussion, one would have to precisely define what is the evolutionary theory under discussion. I suppose one is always dealing with a truly scientific theory. Now, if science is essentially physics and chemistry, then what do concepts like Right and Wrong mean in the context of such scientific theories and, regardless, it seems that notions of morality and ethics are hardly derivable from the purely physical.

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Received on Wed Nov 1 15:54:45 2006