The Temptations of Evolutionary Ethics

Evolutionary theory tells us about our biological past; can it also guide us to a moral future? Paul Farber's compelling book describes a century-old philosophical hope held by many biologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and social thinkers: that universal ethical and social imperatives are built into human nature and can be discovered through knowledge of evolutionary theory.

Farber describes three upsurges of enthusiasm for evolutionary ethics. The first came in the early years of mid...