X-Message-Number: 18145
From: 
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 10:10:46 EST
Subject: evolution & motivation

Keith Henson (#18139) has some remarks about evolutionary psychology. In 
response to my reiterated observation that long term self interest 
(maximizing personal satisfaction) is the only rational motivation for 
individuals, he says, in part:

>Developments in evolutionary biology, particularly evolutionary psychology 
>over the last 35 years or so leads to an entirely different insight. 

However--as I think his following material makes clear enough--that 
"different" insight does not contradict mine (and that of Aristotle and many 
others). It has been clear for a long time that the "motivations" of your 
genome are not always to your individual benefit, hence should not always be 
accepted by you as a basis of value judgments.

"Motivation" comes in several flavors. Some responses are more or less 
"instinctive"--inborn and nearly universally shared, such as the tendency to 
self-preservation in the face of immediate and obvious physical threats. 
Others are learned but more or less unconscious, not usually subjected to 
rational review, such as ideologies. Some are merely habits, 
semi-unconscious, capable of review but usually not reviewed. Relatively few 
are routinely handled on the conscious level and knowingly subjected to 
critical review. The main challenge is to pick the right issues for conscious 
review and to apply that review scientifically. It aint easy, but it's 
possible.

Keith kindly offers to send his draft article, and I would be glad to get it 
in Word.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
www.cryonics.org

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