Genetic morality

[Antibush5]

I have heard that morality can be genetic, has anybody heard about this?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Is there evidence at all for this statement? Who told you this? Morality is a basis of pleasure and pain, and pleasure and pain senses are not genetic

 

[9Westy9]

I have heard that morality can be genetic, has anybody heard about this?

you'll need to be more specific. There has been research into how people with different genes act in different situations, if that's what you're asking.

 

[Quintessence]

Virtually every facet of being human can be connected to genetics in some way. It would be, therefore, rather unsurprising if some group correlated a certain strand of DNA to some particular subjective idea of morality. There's also the generalized idea that as social animals, there is strong selection pressure to choose individuals who are able to get along in a tribe/group. If you want to call that morality.

 

[MD]

Reciprocity, altruism etc are all suggested evolutionary mechanisms of morality.

 

[horizon_mj1]

Actually, yes there is evidence:yes: Discovery Science of one such channel recently introduced this theory. It directly relates to pleasure and pain signal through the end result of the moral or immoral deed being performed. The mind does a quick deduction on the outcome of the situation before the deed is performed where morality may influence the decision made.

 

[Sunstone]

I have heard that morality can be genetic, has anybody heard about this?

I don't doubt there is a genetic component to much that is considered moral in various cultures. For instance, reciprocity is the basis of much morality, and reciprocity seems to itself have a genetic basis.

 

[otokage007]

I have heard that morality can be genetic, has anybody heard about this?

Although I'm speculating, it could be maybe not genetic, but genetic-related. Think about it, morality can be very advantageous in society. If an individual knows stealing and killing is wrong, he 1) won't do those kind of things 2) will do them only when he is unnoticed. This sense of morality will probably give him quite a good advantage among their competitors. So it isn't unreasonable to think that evolution may go this way. Evolution may grant animals a moral sense.

Does this mean morality is printed on genetics? Well, some behaviors are printed on genetics, so why would we dismiss the posibility of morality being also genetic?

 

[horizon_mj1]

Although I'm speculating, it could be maybe not genetic, but genetic-related. Think about it, morality can be very advantageous in society. If an individual knows stealing and killing is wrong, he 1) won't do those kind of things 2) will do them only when he is unnoticed. This sense of morality will probably give him quite a good advantage among their competitors. So it isn't unreasonable to think that evolution may go this way. Evolution may grant animals a moral sense.

Does this mean morality is printed on genetics? Well, some behaviors are printed on genetics, so why would we dismiss the possibility of morality being also genetic?

Psychologist are just scraping the surface of understanding the relation between genetics and morality. The do however know enough that if a person commits immoral acts such as stealing and killing without regret, are considered sociopaths. IMO it is nearly impossible to separate genetic from psychology due to DNA strands being encoded inside the brain to allow proper function; if on this DNA stand there is any type of anomaly, it can not function properly, thus possibly can explain the differences in psychological disorders that may have a biological instead of a biochemical or bio-hormonal disorder.