ARNOLD KLING
August 14, 2011
The Top Political Contributors
August 11, 2011
Gender and the New Commanding Heights
August 11, 2011
Jamie Galbraith Makes an Assumption
August 11, 2011
Macroeconometrics: The Science of Hubris
August 10, 2011
Real and Nominal Bond Yields
BRYAN CAPLAN
August 14, 2011
The Effect of Thumb Sucking on Income
August 12, 2011
The Voice of Cold, Hard Truth to All Would-Be Educators
August 12, 2011
Ability, Morality, and Prosperity: A Paper and a Report
August 11, 2011
The Theory of Time and Frittering
August 10, 2011
Male Variance and the Remnants of the Gender Gap
DAVID HENDERSON
August 9, 2011
Hayek in "Unbroken", Part Two
August 8, 2011
Hayek in "Unbroken"
August 5, 2011
James Bovard on the Peace Corps
August 4, 2011
Summers Way Off on FDR and 1941
August 3, 2011
The "Amazon" Tax
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I'd say the instinct to extend one's life span is linked to the increased opportunities for reproduction that this brings; or the opportunity to contribute to the reproduction chances of related individuals.
Secondly, phrases like "ethical intuition" make me wince. Ethics/morality have a very logical underpinning, based on the increased societal evolutionary fitness they bring about. Here's an excerpt from my blog post on the issue:
"....However, some behaviors are transmitted as thoughts, codes of behavior or social rituals (also known as "memes"). Following the rationale of evolution, those codes of behavior that enhance the survival and reproduction of individuals or groups of individuals, will over time, become predominant, just like "good" genes become predominant over a number of generations.
It is here that "morality", a set of codes of behavior, emerges in its proper context. If you notice, all moral codes serve to enhance the productivity of a society that subscribes to these codes. As an example, the injunction against theft enhances the productivity of the society that subscribes to it, by freeing up time and energy of the citizens from guarding against one's neighbor (an unproductive activity) to accumulating resources, investing in technology development, etc. Likewise the injunction against murder etc. Over time, a society which subscribes to these codes will outcompete societies that do not, resulting in the preponderance of adherence to "morality" wordlwide...."
@Look_think_do
Secondly, phrases like "ethical intuition" make me wince.
Same here. (But thats because I'm a Kantian)
Ethics/morality have a very logical underpinning, based on the increased societal evolutionary fitness they bring about
Dude. Just because evolution has produced a number of dispositions in us does not mean that we ought act according to those dispositions.
Why is it good that related individual's opportunity to survive increases?
And if you had to torture 10 children in order that your siblings be 100 times as fertile, is it right to do so?