To learn about morality's evolutionary origins, we should be thinking more about not-so-nice cases.

That's what we argue, at least. Have a look! (8)

It's also about conflict, disagreement, and grudging compliance with demands--even if you're not feeling particularly loving toward whoever is making the demands. (7)

We argue that it is a mistake to set such cases to the side because doing so skews a lot of scientific research about the evolution of morality. Morality isn't just about niceness . . . (6)

But if you share food with someone who demanded it, and you're not all that enthusiastic about doing so, that's considered not-so-moral, and so researchers will set your case to the side. (5)

So if you're a chimpanzee and you share some food out of pure kindness, that's taken to be a sort of case in which something moral-ish is going on, and researchers will study it as an evolutionally precursor to fully-fledged human ethics. (4)

The paper criticizes a broad trend in the literature on the evolution of morality. That literature has tended to study cases where someone is motivated solely from benevolence, or "niceness," of some sort. (3)

www.paulschofieldphilosophy.com/uploads/1/3/...

(2)

My friend/Bates colleague Mike Dacey and I have just published this paper in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. It's been a long time coming (several years and many beers at this point). But it was really a lot of fun to collaborate (link in next comment) (1)

Coming soon(ish)

When is enjoying funny animal videos not anthropomorphism? | Aeon Essays Interpreting the emotional lives of animals requires a subtler and more nuanced understanding of anthropomorphism

aeon.co/essays/when-...

I’ve had a bit with my colleague Mike Dacey where I send him a YouTube video and ask him if the turtle is enjoying his bath as much as he looks like he is (or whatever). Glad to he’s gone public with the bit. (Link in next post)

I have a new essay in Jacobin, arguing that homelessness is at odds with the ideal of a democratic society. I'll take this opportunity to mention that I'm writing a book for Oxford UP elaborating on the ideas in this piece. It will be a trade book, meant for a popular audience.

14-year-old daughter couldn’t find any friends who wanted to go to the Vampire Weekend show tomorrow, so she asked me.

Here is a promotional code, if you want to buy it. It's also available on Oxford Academic/Oxford Scholarship Online. (6)

Here's the abstract for the whole thing. (5)

It's a serious academic book. But also it's just well-written, fun, whimsical--really, the kind of thing you can give to undergrads. (4)

Every chapter is full of descriptions of fascinating experiments, and raises insightful questions about what can and cannot be inferred from them. I learned so much from this! (3)

The basic idea behind the book is to identify difficulties that get in the way of making progress in the field of animal psychology, and to suggest a positive path forward for each (2).

My colleague Mike Dacey has an excellent and exciting new book out today. It's aimed at an academic audience, but not a narrow specialist one--great for students and also philosophers and animal researchers interested in the topic (1)

My mom got me this bookend when I was in college.

Facebook memory

Can’t believe this is the pope

My Robert Francis Prevost NFTs are probably worth more today.

Well, this would signal that he’s not the pope of the South Side, but the pope of all of Chicago

The new pope will sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Wrigley next week.

What if ChatGPT added to the terms of use that you’re not allowed to use it to cheat?

I think the main thing that matters is whether the new pope vaguely agrees with my politics.

Really would like to see this level of enthusiasm from students these days.

Facebook is aggressively targeting me with these ads. I think it says a lot about society that we're now assuming that *this* is the answer to our problems, rather than antidepressants.

I think it tastes perfectly good, but it also absorbs flavors and spices really well. Sometimes you need to add oil or butter if the recipe depends on the meat being fatty