Alex’s Reviews > Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments: A Stone Reader > Status Update

How Should We Respond to "Evil?" (Steven Paulikas) - Evil is difficult to define due to its history as a theoretical concept, and is often politically used for anything that disagrees with one's worldview. Evil is not a singular thing, but rather a grander storyline, part of a myth. We should respond not with violence but with a commitment to relieve and stop the suffering caused by this evil.

Moral Camouflage or Moral Monkeys (Peter Railton) - It is the intersection between human culture and natural selection that allows us to continue to advance our society. Crude tools, such as natural selection, can make more refined ones that greatly shape our world and culture.

Is Pure Altruism Possible? (Judith Lichtenburg) - Many deny that altruistic behavior is not possible given an individual’s egoism, that they are motivated for a reward. Altruism allows for the satisfaction and affirmation of an individual; “doing good makes an individual feel good”

Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene (Roy Scranton) - Humanity has already doomed itself to die a long death due to the effects of climate change. We cannot live tomorrow as if it is just today. We must accept that humanity is already dead and free ourself to face every problem with fear and anew

Evolution and Our Inner Conflict (Edward O. Wilson) - The leading human instinct is multilevel selection, were social behavior improves the cognitive ability of entire group. Humans having overpowering instinct to belong to a group and this advantage builds the social intelligence through using the group for more altruistic behavior.