The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are.

From: National Review | Date: March 20, 1995| Author: | Copyright information

ROBERT WRIGHT attempts to explain man as a moral animal in terms of "evolutionary psychology," a nascent academic discipline based on the principle that humans are programmed by evolution to secure the replication of their genes. They do this primarily by having and caring for children and by helping their kinsfolk and other members of their ethnic or racial group.

Evolutionary psychology is therefore nothing other than the more familiar sociobiology, but Mr. Wright says he prefers not to use that term because it has conservative connotations. I think this is a mistake. The ...

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