Phenomenology and Mind

No. 12 (2017): New Trends in Philosophy
Submitted Contributions

Biology, Justice and Hume’s Guillotine

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  • Hugo de Brito Machado Segundo,
  • Raquel Cavalcanti Ramos Machado
Hugo de Brito Machado Segundo
Federal University of Ceará (UFC - Brazil)
Raquel Cavalcanti Ramos Machado
Federal University of Ceará (UFC - Brazil)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-21122

Published 2017-08-09

Keywords

  • moral sentiments,
  • evolutionary origins

How to Cite

de Brito Machado Segundo, H., & Cavalcanti Ramos Machado, R. (2017). Biology, Justice and Hume’s Guillotine. Phenomenology and Mind, (12), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-21122
Copyright Notice

Abstract

Biology and Neuroscience are addressing issues related to moral sentiments, but this does not mean that Philosophy has lost its importance in the debate. Paradoxically, the discovery that moral sentiments have evolutionary origins does not overcome the problem of “Hume’s Guillotine”. There are human characteristics which can be explained by natural selection and that are nonetheless culturally reproved. In order to choose or select which “natural” characteristics are to be promoted and which are to be discouraged, it is necessary to use a criterion that is not given by nature, although human capacities to discuss these criteria have been naturally shaped.

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