Download or read book The Natural Selection of Autonomy written by Bruce N. Waller and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1998-07-10 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Natural Selection of Autonomy challenges the deep traditional assumption that autonomy, morality, and moral responsibility are uniquely human characteristics. By examining autonomy on a larger scale in the natural world, it clears away the mysteries associated with autonomy claims and shows what is valuable and adaptive (for humans and other animals) in genuine open alternatives—and how human reason strengthens, rather than creates, autonomous behavior. Drawing on recent research in biology, psychology, and philosophy, The Natural Selection of Autonomy attacks widely shared and deeply held beliefs that have passed from the historical pre-Darwinian philosophical tradition into contemporary thought, and offers a clear look at the evolution of autonomous moral behavior among many species, including—but not limited to—human animals.