The Evolution of Moral Progress A Biocultural Theory

In The Evolution of Moral Progress, Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell resurrect the project of explaining moral progress. They avoid the errors of earlier attempts by drawing on a wide range of disciplines including moral and political philosophy, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, history, and sociology.

Their focus is on one especially important type of moral progress: gains in inclusivity. They develop a framework to explain progress in inclusivity to also illuminate moral regression--the return to exclusivist and "tribalistic" moral beliefs and attitudes. Buchanan and Powell argue those tribalistic moral responses are not hard-wired by evolution in human nature. Rather, human beings have an evolved "adaptively plastic" capacity for both inclusion and exclusion, depending on environmental conditions. Moral progress in the dimension of inclusivity is possible, but only to the extent that human beings can create environments conducive to extending moral standing to all human beings and even to some animals. Buchanan and Powell take biological evolution seriously, but with a critical eye, while simultaneously recognizing the crucial role of culture in creating environments in which moral progress can occur. The book avoids both biological and cultural determinism. Unlike earlier theories of moral progress, their theory provides a naturalistic account that is grounded in the best empirical work, and unlike earlier theories it does not present moral progress as inevitable or as occurring in definite stages; but rather it recognizes the highly contingent and fragile character of moral improvement.

Allen Buchanan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University.
Russell Powell is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Boston University.

Introduction: Why a Theory of Moral Progress is Needed

Part One: What is Moral Progress?
Chapter 1: A Typology of Moral Progress
Chapter 2: Contemporary Accounts of Moral Progress
Chapter 3: A Pluralistic, Dynamic Conception of Moral Progress

Part Two: Evolution and the Possibility of Moral Progress
Chapter 4: Is Evolved Human Nature an Obstacle to Moral Progress?
Chapter 5: The Inclusivist Anomaly and the Limits of Evolutionary Explanation
Chapter 6: Toward a Naturalistic Theory of Inclusivist Moral Progress
Chapter 7: Naturalizing Moral Regression: A Biocultural Account
Chapter 8: De-Moralization and the Evolution of Invalid Moral Norms

Part Three: The Path Traveled and the Way Forward
Chapter 9: Improvements in Moral Understanding and the Human Rights Movement
Chapter 10: Human Rights Naturalized
Chapter 11: Biomedical Moral Enhancement and Moral Progress

Conclusion: The Future of Human Morality
Appendix: Topics for Further Research