Genkaus, I agree with your distinction between nature and instinct. Thank you for that clarification. Human nature includes Man’s intellect. And intellect allows people the ability to act contrary to their first impulse and/or cultivate habits that will override their animal instincts. From our other discussions, I’m certain we disagree about the character and source of Man’s intellect.
Esquilax, my apologies. I continued with the post to address what I see as rampant scientism on the forums. As far as I’ve seen you have avoided falling into that mistake. I agree that as social creatures, our evolutionary legacy does inform our moral systems. They do not determine our moral systems. If intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe and if that life took a radically different evolutionary path, then I have no doubt their moral systems would seem very strange and wonderful to us. Yet despite those differences, I have to believe that creatures that do have intellectual capacities, on par with or exceeding our own, would still use rational inquiry to develop values that also transcend their animal/insect/silicone-based instincts.
Without the requisite intellect, other animals lack the ability to engage in rational inquiry. That leaves them beholden to their instinctual reactions. Since the instincts come from natural selection, then survival of the fittest, from the perspective of naturalism, entirely explains their behavior.
Esquilax, my apologies. I continued with the post to address what I see as rampant scientism on the forums. As far as I’ve seen you have avoided falling into that mistake. I agree that as social creatures, our evolutionary legacy does inform our moral systems. They do not determine our moral systems. If intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe and if that life took a radically different evolutionary path, then I have no doubt their moral systems would seem very strange and wonderful to us. Yet despite those differences, I have to believe that creatures that do have intellectual capacities, on par with or exceeding our own, would still use rational inquiry to develop values that also transcend their animal/insect/silicone-based instincts.
Without the requisite intellect, other animals lack the ability to engage in rational inquiry. That leaves them beholden to their instinctual reactions. Since the instincts come from natural selection, then survival of the fittest, from the perspective of naturalism, entirely explains their behavior.
