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From: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Evidences for Religion (reposting)
Message-ID: <624@cybvax0.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 11:30:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: cybvax0.624
Posted: Fri Jul 19 11:30:23 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jul-85 02:18:58 EDT
References: <1182@pyuxd.UUCP> <800@umcp-cs.UUCP> <1202@pyuxd.UUCP> <2127@pucc-h> <618@cybvax0.UUCP> <1299@uwmacc.UUCP>
Reply-To: mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz)
Organization: Cybermation, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 24

In article <1299@uwmacc.UUCP> dubois@uwmacc.UUCP (Paul DuBois) writes:
>  
> > [Mike Huybensz]
> > Morality is an evolutionarily adaptive trait.  It can be a heuristic for
> > optimizing reproductive success.  Just like intelligence.
> 
> You merely remove the question one level.  Why should evolutionary
> adaptiveness be valued?  Or survival?  (Again, I may agree that they
> *should be*, but why should I believe it, for reasons *you* can
> give?)

You misunderstand.  There is evolutionary selection for the trait "morality"
(not any specific morality) because "moral" people can outcompete those
without the trait.  And there is competition between the different moralities
(and evolution of them) with slightly different modes of propagation and
mutation.

Valuing morality is one of the adaptive positive feedback characteristics
of morality itself.  Just as an organism that didn't choose to reproduce
would tend to die out, so a morality that didn't value itself would tend
to die out.
-- 

Mike Huybensz		...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh