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    If fitness-enhancing traits systematically track morally ... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→In a naturalistic universe, Darwinian evolution would be expected to select for moral judgments that track survival rather than objective moral truths

    If fitness-enhancing traits systematically track morally relevant properties like suffering and flourishing, evolution selects for moral accuracy, not mere survival indifference.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Animals that accurately detect suffering in others avoid costly conflicts and cooperate more effectively, providing direct fitness advantages.
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    • 2.Moral intuitions about harm and wellbeing correlate strongly with evolutionarily-relevant outcomes like kin survival and reciprocal cooperation.
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    • 3.Natural selection can favor accurate perception of morally-salient features if those features reliably indicate fitness-relevant consequences.
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against
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    • 1.Evolution selects for reproductive success, not accurate representation of objective moral facts. Illusions that boost fitness are evolutionarily stable.
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    • 2.Moral intuitions track parochial tribal interests, not universal suffering. We ignore distant harms yet experience moral concern—suggesting bias, not accuracy.
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    • 3.Many fitness-enhancing traits (deception, exploitation, infanticide) directly violate moral principles, showing evolution and morality diverge systematically.
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    Skepticism1 linkedMoral Responsibility1 linked

    Related

    Animals that accurately detect suffering in others avoid costly conflicts and co...Evolution selects for reproductive success, not accurate representation of objec...In a naturalistic universe, Darwinian evolution would be expected to select for ...Many fitness-enhancing traits (deception, exploitation, infanticide) directly vi...
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    Moral intuitions about harm and wellbeing correlate strongly with evolutionarily...Moral intuitions track parochial tribal interests, not universal suffering. We i...Natural selection can favor accurate perception of morally-salient features if t...

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