The study of the relation between theory of evolution and ethics in 20th century

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Kodama Satoshi  京都大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (80372366)

¥2,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥690,000)

This research program aimed to examine the effect the theory of revolution had to the ethics and consider the good relationship we should have between them. Through this program, we overviewed comprehensively the developments of the theory of evolution from H. Spencer to R. Dawkins and we surveyed in detail the topics about sociobiology debated by such specialists as E. O. Wilson, J. Mackie and M. Midgley. We concluded that we should discuss precisely the correlation of the evolutionary theory with certain types of argument in metaethics, especially the metaethical ‘anti-realism’, and we ought to reconsider whether the ‘debunking argument’ is robust in a philosophical sense. In addition, we indicated that the philosophical analysis of ‘humanism movement’ is crucial in order to reveal the ideal relationship between the evolutionary theory and the ethics. These results were released through publishing books and research papers, and giving several conference presentations.

本研究は、進化論と倫理学の紆余曲折のある関係について、これまで十分明らかでなかったその歴史および両者のあるべき関係が明確になると考えられ、また哲学者と生物学者との間対話を実りあるものとしうるという点で、高い学術的意義を持っていると言える。