What is ethics? Where do moral standards come from? Are they based on
emotions, reason, or some innate sense of right and wrong? For many
scientists, the key lies entirely in biology--especially in Darwinian
theories of evolution and self-preservation. But if evolution is a
struggle for survival, why are we still capable of altruism?
In his classic study The Expanding Circle, Peter Singer argues that
altruism began as a genetically based drive to protect one's kin and
community members but has developed into a consciously chosen ethic with
an expanding circle of moral concern. Drawing on philosophy and
evolutionary psychology, he demonstrates that human ethics cannot be
explained by biology alone. Rather, it is our capacity for reasoning
that makes moral progress possible. In a new afterword, Singer takes
stock of his argument in light of recent research on the evolution of
morality.