Marc Hauser is an evolutionary psychologist and biologist. He is Harvard College Professor and Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Primate Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Harvard University. He is the author of a number of books, including The Evolution of Communication, Wild Minds: What Animals Think, and Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong.

In this interview with D.J. Grothe, Marc Hauser expounds his theory that morality has biological origins while challenging the common view that morality comes from God. He compares the human capacity for morality with Noam Chomsky’s notion of a universal grammar, arguing that there is a “morality module” in the brain. He explains how his theory accounts for differences in morality across cultures, and discusses how morality could have evolved and what genetic benefit it might have afforded. He also explores the implications of his theory for the legal system, and for cultural institutions like religion and the family.

http://www.pointofinquiry.org

Another excellent podcast and an intriguing guest.  Hauser hits the nail on the head about the inherence of the human moral drive.  It is inspiring to consider the potential in deciphering and articulating the shared “grammar” of our human “morality modules.” And to consider the implications of such articulations to the matter of practical ethics.

Thomas Donnelly - 04 April 2008 04:16 PM

In this interview with D.J. Grothe, Marc Hauser expounds his theory that morality has biological origins while challenging the common view that morality comes from God.

This was an excellent interview with a lot of discussion.  Some really good points.

I had downloaded the podcast before going running {jogging} and afterward when I was at Barnes & Noble a book on a table caught my eye:
[The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout].  Leafing through it was an interesting juxtaposition with this podcast. Martha Stout asserts that 4% of the population has a different moral sense

[Review of Martha Stout’s book]

Marc Hauser is a scientist and on much stronger technical ground. He spends some time in this interview explaining how there is a general moral sense that people think actively doing something which causes harm is worse than being indirect --- that euthanasia is worse than “unplugging” a terminally ill patient (plus other examples).

Thanks to D.J. and everyone involved—when an interview goes well we tend to take it for granted. I would mention that in addition to content the technical quality is consistently good....

Yes, excellent podcast that outlined a very plausible mechanism for soft constraints on human morality.

I also enjoyed the podcast. I am not so sure about Hauser’s Moral Minds, though. I found the book unnecessarily long and wordy.

Fascinating topic. I was impressed with his distinction between the brain’s innate faculty for the structural parts of morality, while conceding that much (all?) of the content of morality appears to be culturally conditioned. Which, in some ways, leaves us right back where we started. Sort of like saying that all human brains have a “blank moral canvas” as standard equipment, but society brings the oil paints and covers the blank canvas with a culture-specific moral “painting.”