Evolution of morality

Evolution of morality studies how moral capacities, behaviors, and norms emerged and changed through biological and cultural evolution.

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Kin selection: Natural selection favoring traits that help genetic relatives reproduce. Explains why helping relatives can evolve even when help carries a personal cost.
Sociality: The tendency of organisms to live and interact in groups. Moral norms arise in the context of recurring social interaction.
Charles Darwin: The English naturalist who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin argued that social instincts and sympathy could develop through evolution.
Naturalistic fallacy: The mistake of treating facts about what is natural as proof of what is morally right. An evolutionary account describes origins; it does not by itself justify moral rules.
Altruism: Behavior that benefits another individual, often at a cost to the actor. Its evolutionary explanation remains central to debates about genuinely selfless conduct.
Reciprocal altruism: Cooperation in which an individual helps another with an expectation of future return. Shows how repeated exchange can support cooperation among nonrelatives.
Theory of mind: The capacity to attribute beliefs, desires, and intentions to oneself and others. Judging responsibility often depends on inferring what another person intended.
The Descent of Man: Charles Darwin's 1871 book on human evolution, sexual selection, and human origins. Its account of the moral sense made morality part of an evolutionary history.
Moral realism: The view that at least some moral claims are objectively true. It raises the question whether evolved moral judgments track truths or merely adaptive responses.
Moral universalism: The view that some moral principles apply across cultures and circumstances. Cross-cultural similarities raise questions about shared evolved foundations and universal rules.