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Puritanical morality and the scaffolded evolution of self-control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2023

Walter Veit Open the ORCID record for Walter Veit [Opens in a new window]  and
Heather Browning Open the ORCID record for Heather Browning [Opens in a new window]
Walter Veit
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK wrwveit@gmail.com; https://walterveit.com/
Heather Browning
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK DrHeatherBrowning@gmail.com; https://www.heatherbrowning.net/
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Abstract

There is a puzzle in reconciling the widespread presence of puritanical norms condemning harmless pleasures with the theory that morality evolved to reap the benefits of cooperation. Here, we draw on the work of several philosophers to support the argument by Fitouchi et al. that these norms evolved to facilitate and scaffold self-control for the sake of cooperation.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e319
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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