Academic

Book Announcement: Braintrust by Churchland

By Lawrence Solum

Braintrust
What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality
Patricia S. Churchland
 

To read the entire book description or the introduction, please visit: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9399.html

What is morality? Where does it come from? And why do most of us heed its call most of the time? In Braintrust, neurophilosophy pioneer Patricia Churchland argues that morality originates in the biology of the brain. She describes the "neurobiological platform of bonding" that, modified by evolutionary pressures and cultural values, has led to human styles of moral behavior. The result is a provocative genealogy of morals that asks us to reevaluate the priority given to religion, absolute rules, and pure reason in accounting for the basis of morality.

"Churchland guides the reader through lucid, well-articulated explanations of subjects like oxytocin's effect on an individual's hormonal makeup, brain changes over time, and relevant gene research, tying these neuroscientific elements together with more social science oriented areas like cooperation, trust, and rule creation. This influential work is likely to be a valuable resource for anyone seeking to gain a fresh, exciting perspective on an oft-discussed area of philosophy."--Elizabeth Millard,ForeWord Reviews

Cloth | $24.95 / £16.95 | ISBN: 978-0-691-13703-2
e-Book | $24.95 | ISBN: 978-1-4008-3808-0

Full post as published by Legal Theory Blog on March 31, 2011 (boomark / email).