Steve Stewart-Williams || How the Mind and Culture Evolve

Moral Disgust

Steve Stewart-Williams discusses the evolutionary roots of moral disgust and its connection to broader moral behaviors. He suggests that moral disgust is not a separate evolutionary phenomenon but rather a cultural construct influenced by various emotions, including disgust. Scott Kaufman adds that culture can amplify our nature, bringing out both the best and worst in humans.

I think disgust feeds into that. It's one of the emotions that feeds into that kind of shapes our morality.

--- Steve Stewart-Williams

They explore how different cultural contexts can significantly alter human behavior, challenging the notion that certain traits are unchangeable 1 2.

   

Altruism vs. Selfishness

The conversation shifts to the nuances between altruism and selfishness. Steve argues that altruism can be genuine and not merely a disguise for selfish motives. He disagrees with the cynics who claim that all altruistic acts are ultimately selfish. Scott introduces the concept of "healthy selfishness," which benefits the individual without harming others.

I think that an altruistic person is somebody that does enjoy being altruistic for its own sake.

--- Steve Stewart-Williams

They also discuss the idea of pathological altruism, where helping others becomes a compulsive need for self-validation rather than a genuine act of kindness 3 4.

   

Evolutionary Morality

Steve explores how moral behavior can be explained through evolutionary theories like inclusive fitness and group selection. He explains that inclusive fitness includes both direct and indirect fitness, focusing on the reproductive success of genetic relatives. Scott brings up the controversial topic of group selection, which posits that traits beneficial to a group can be selected even if they are detrimental to the individual.

Inclusive fitness also includes what's called indirect fitness. So direct fitness is your personal reproductive success, the number of offspring that you have. Indirect fitness is your contribution to the reproductive success of genetic relatives.

--- Steve Stewart-Williams

They debate whether group selection has had any significant influence on human evolution, with Steve leaning towards the idea that most of it can be explained by inclusive fitness 5 6.