The Naturalization of Morality

Author:

Jenson, Daniel Adam

Area of Honors:

Philosophy

Degree:

Bachelor of Science

Document Type:

Thesis

Thesis Supervisors:

Jennifer Mensch, Thesis Supervisor
Jennifer Mensch, Thesis Supervisor
John Philip Christman, Thesis Honors Advisor

Keywords:

Dewey
Darwin
Nietzsche
Freud
morality
natural selection

Abstract:

ABSTRACT In 1859, Charles Darwin released the Origin of Species and inaugurated a revolution in thought of Copernican proportions. While his findings were exclusively scientific, his contemporaries did not hesitate to extrapolate the consequences of Natural Selection into nearly every facet of human existence. Unfortunately, the implications of evolution did not bode well for all disciplines. Tremendous resistance came from the Church. In opposition to divine inspiration, Darwinian Selection suggested the haphazard, organic development not only of our cognitive faculties, but also of our moral sense. This was profoundly unsettling for many, since it required a dramatic revaluation of man’s cosmic significance. Yet, for others, it represented an opportunity to challenge the hegemony of presiding social, religious, and political institutions. The objective of my thesis is to demonstrate that, despite continued opposition from various religious authorities, morality has essentially been naturalized as a result of Darwin’s theory. Scientifically, psychologically, and pragmatically concerned, the study of ethics has become an investigation into our fundamental nature, devoid of appeals to the supernatural or divine. The following chapters detail the development of this transition, beginning with the scientific perspective, progressing to the psychological aspect, and concluding with the pragmatic viewpoint. A brief summary of each chapter is included below: Chapter 1 - The Darwinian Epoch: This chapter explores the scientific foundation that formed the necessary and sufficient conditions for Darwin’s discovery of Natural Selection. It also explains Natural Selection and its implications for morality as presented in Darwin’s Descent of Man. This section concludes with a discussion of naturalized morality from a scientific perspective. Chapter 2 – The Etiology of Morality: In the wake of Darwinian evolution, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and psychologist Sigmund Freud analyzed morality and religion from an etiological perspective. In the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche traced the development of ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘evil’, and ‘guilt’ through history. Freud, in The Future of an Illusion and in Civilization and Its Discontents, evaluated religion from a psycho-analytic perspective. Separately, but concordantly, these two concluded that contemporary morality and religion were a hindrance to human progress. Chapter 3 – Deliberate, Intelligent, and Religious Action: John Dewey, American pragmatic philosopher, continued the project initiated by Darwin, Nietzsche, and Freud in the social and political spheres. His philosophy was strongly representative of the pragmatic movement in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. His program promoted a practical and intelligent approach to improving the human condition. This chapter is dedicated to an analysis and critique of Dewey’s concept of “intelligence,” as well as its implications for religion.