Abstract
- The subject of reconciling our evolutionary past with our sense of right and wrong is undergoing a resurgent wave of interest. The timely Evolutionary Ethics offers the first general introductory text to this area, presenting students to three different areas of ongoing research related to evolution and morality: cognitive psychology, normative ethics, and metaethics. The text is divided into two sections to reflect these areas. Part One explores the cognitive psychological question of how - if at all - our moral sense evolved. Part Two reviews both historical and recent efforts to derive moral norms and draws conclusions about the objectivity of morality from biological facts about our evolutionary past. Written in a style that is both engaging and accessible for undergraduates and the interested general reader, James presents an exciting study of the most up-to-date research and current issues being debated across both psychology and philosophy.