Omnivore - The Uncertain Biological Basis of Morality

From Bookforum's Omnivore blog, this is a cool collection of links focused on issues of morality, ethics, and evolution. There is also an excellent article by David Dobbs (from Aeon) dismissing Richard Dawkins "selfish gene" hypothesis [the article was posted on this blog a month or two ago when it came out] in light of the new field of epigenetics. Must read for anyone who is interested in science, biology, and evolution.

The uncertain biological basis of morality

Jan 21 2014
9:00AM

• Erol Akcay (UPenn), John A. Ferejohn (NYU), and James D. Fearon, Joan Roughgarden, and Barry R. Weingast (Stanford): Biological Institutions: The Political Science of Animal Cooperation. 
• From Metapsychology, Robert William Fischer reviews Cooperation and Its Evolution, ed. Kim Sterelny, Richard Joyce, Brett Calcott, and Ben Fraser; and William Simkulet reviews The Connected Self: The Ethics and Governance of the Genetic Individual by Heather Widdows. 
• Is morality hardwired? Laura Miller reviews Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil by Paul Bloom (and more). 
• Did God make these babies moral? Paul Bloom on how Intelligent Design's oldest attack on evolution is as popular as ever. 
• Science proves Louis C.K. is right: New studies show the "equality bias" in kids turns out to be a lot like a famous Louis CK joke about kids and toys. 
• Beyond the paleo: Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell on how our morality may be a product of natural selection, but that doesn’t mean it's set in stone. 
• David Dobbs on the social life of genes: Your DNA is not a blueprint — day by day, week by week, your genes are in a conversation with your surroundings; and on how the selfish gene is one of the most successful science metaphors ever invented — unfortunately, it’s wrong (and more). 
• Selfish genes made me do it (and part 2). 
• Survival of the selfish: Kyle O'Shea on natural selection and the myth of altruism.Why can't we all just get along? 
• Robert Wright on the uncertain biological basis of morality. 
• Kathy Benjamin on 5 unfortunate biases hard coded into your DNA.