Argument
- Many or most of our moral beliefs are shaped by a direct or indirect result of evolution
- Evolution only prioritizes advantageous beliefs, not necessarily true beliefs
- Therefore we can’t trust our beliefs are true
This is a reason as to why we shouldn’t believe appearances. We reject Phenomenal Conservatism.
Counterarguments
What Reason Do We Have to Believe In our Eyes
Skeptics Response:
Evolution may have selected this so that it tracks the truth. We shouldn’t doubt our eyes since evolution has formed them to be reliable to track the truth. We would also be better off if we had mathematical truths to quantify resources.
Second Version
It is the case that some evolutionary evolution will select for the truth. If the argument works against moral beliefs, it might also challenge empirical beliefs. There is often an inherent link between truth and evolutionary advantage for empirical beliefs.
Third Argument
Unlike empirical beliefs, true moral beliefs don’t inherently offer evolutionary advantages. True empirical beliefs are advantageous to society. But some true moral beliefs are not advantageous to our society.
Example
You are the only person in your battalion that jump on the grenade. You die but you save 100 lives. Moral truth: Better to kill yourself Self-Advantage: Don’t jump. Advantage does not track the moral truth in this case.
Responses
Common Ground Response
There could be underlying facts that link truth and advantage in both empirical and moral domains. Example:
- Evolutionary advantage: Move hand from burning flame to keep hand
- Normative Fact: It hurts to have hand above flame
Constructivist Response
Moral truth depends in our mental lives. What it is to be a moral law is to be the kind of law to govern society if we were in an ideal state. Then the moral rules we choose So, we have a renewed connection between truth and evolutionary advantage. Truth comes from evolutionary advantage which is these facts about our minds. It makes moral truth a truth like being popular.