The Natural Selection of Autonomy (SUNY Series in Philosophy and Biology) - Softcover

Waller, Bruce N.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0791438201 ISBN 13: 9780791438206

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Natural Selection of Autonomy challenges the deep traditional assumption that autonomy, morality, and moral responsibility are uniquely human characteristics. By examining autonomy on a larger scale in the natural world, it clears away the mysteries associated with autonomy claims and shows what is valuable and adaptive (for humans and other animals) in genuine open alternatives--and how human reason strengthens, rather than creates, autonomous behavior. Drawing on recent research in biology, psychology, and philosophy, The Natural Selection of Autonomy attacks widely shared and deeply held beliefs that have passed from the historical pre-Darwinian philosophical tradition into contemporary thought, and offers a clear look at the evolution of autonomous moral behavior among many species, including--but not limited to--human animals.

About this title

Review

"This book is a joy to read--jargon-free, cogently argued." -- Mark Bernstein, University of Texas, San Antonio

"Waller writes with a simplicity and grace of style which both engages the reader and illuminates the steps in the argument. The overall position defended concerning the nature of freedom/autonomy and its connection, or lack thereof, with moral responsibility is both novel and inventive. The book is remarkably creative. In part this is because it is iconoclastic, critically confronting regnant opinions. But more creatively, it offers a synoptic position--a nuanced view--with many of its presuppositions and ramifications." -- George Graham, University of Alabama at Birmingham

About the Author

Bruce N. Waller is Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Youngstown State University. His previous work includes Critical Thinking: Consider the Verdict and Freedom Without Responsibility.

About this edition

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0791438201
• ISBN 13: 9780791438206
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 214