The study of the relation between theory of evolution and ethics in 20th century

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00040
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Kodama Satoshi 京都大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (80372366)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 進化論 / 倫理学 / 科学史 / 倫理思想史 / 進化倫理学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research program aimed to examine the effect the theory of revolution had to the ethics and consider the good relationship we should have between them. Through this program, we overviewed comprehensively the developments of the theory of evolution from H. Spencer to R. Dawkins and we surveyed in detail the topics about sociobiology debated by such specialists as E. O. Wilson, J. Mackie and M. Midgley. We concluded that we should discuss precisely the correlation of the evolutionary theory with certain types of argument in metaethics, especially the metaethical ‘anti-realism’, and we ought to reconsider whether the ‘debunking argument’ is robust in a philosophical sense. In addition, we indicated that the philosophical analysis of ‘humanism movement’ is crucial in order to reveal the ideal relationship between the evolutionary theory and the ethics. These results were released through publishing books and research papers, and giving several conference presentations.

Free Research Field

哲学、倫理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、進化論と倫理学の紆余曲折のある関係について、これまで十分明らかでなかったその歴史および両者のあるべき関係が明確になると考えられ、また哲学者と生物学者との間対話を実りあるものとしうるという点で、高い学術的意義を持っていると言える。