Human Nature & Human Universals

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

Post Reply
Veritas Aequitas
Posts: 12357
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:41 am

Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Here is a list of Human Universals by Donald Brown from Shermer's Book.
Not all are related to Morality, [indicated if so].
Who will argue there is no such human universals and they are not grounded within the physical brain and Body while to some extent to the genes and DNA.

..............
List of Human Universals
The following 202 human universal traits are culled out of anthropologist Donald E. Brown’s original list of 373 human universals, and are directly related to religious and Moral behavior.
They are presented as a demonstration of the universality of Morality, and as further evidence of its evolutionary heritage.
For these universals I have added parenthetical notes indicating the relation I believe each has to Morality and religion.
Brown’s list is in: Donald E. Brown, Human Universals, New York: mcgrawhill, 1991.

Affection expressed and felt (necessary for altruism and cooperation to be reinforced)
Age statuses (vital element in social hierarchy, dominance, respect for elder’s wisdom)
Anthropomorphization (basis of animism, anthropomorphic gods of Greece/Rome, attribution of human Moral traits to the monotheistic God of Jews, Christians, and Muslims)
Anticipation (vital for behaviors to have future consequences)
Attachment (necessary for bonding, friendship, pro-social behavior)
Belief in supernatural/religion (basis of the codification of Morality)
Beliefs about death (basis for belief in an afterlife)
Beliefs about fortune and misfortune (superstition and religion)
Binary cognitive distinctions (Good and evil, Moral and immoral)
Biological mother and social mother normally the same person (elemental in inclusive fitness and kin altruism)
Childhood fear of strangers (basis of xenophobia)
Classification of behavioral propensities (basis of judging Moral and immoral behaviors)
Classification of inner states (basis of judging Moral and immoral traits)
Classification of kin (basis of inclusive fitness and kin altruism)
Coalitions (foundation of social and group Morality)
Collective identities (basis of xenophobia, group selection)
Conflict (creates Moral problems)
Conflict, consultation to deal with (resolution of Moral problems)
Conflict, means of dealing with (resolution of Moral problems)
Conflict, mediation of (foundation of much of Moral behavior)
Conjectural reasoning (necessary for Moral judgment)
Continua (ordering as cognitive pattern)
Cooperation (part of altruism)
Cooperative labor (part of kin, reciprocal, and blind altruism)
Copulation normally conducted in privacy (Moral presumption of exclusivity, unique relationship)
Corporate (perpetual) statuses (Moral ranking of groups)
Coyness display (courtship, Moral manipulation)
Crying (sometimes expression of grief, Moral pain)
Customary greetings (part of conflict prevention and resolution)
Dance (affiliated with many religious ceremonies)
Death rituals (awareness of mortality behind many religious beliefs)
Decision making (foundation of Moral judgment and resolution of Moral dilemmas)
Decision making, collective (foundation of group Moral judgment and resolution of group Moral dilemmas)
Differential valuations (necessary for Moral judgment)
Discrepancies between speech, thought, and action (Moral intention v. Behavior)
Distinguishing right and wrong (foundation for all Moral judgment and Ethical systems)
Divination (element in many religious ceremonies)
Division of labor by age (form of status and hierarchy)
Division of labor by sex (form of status and hierarchy)
Dominance/submission (foundation of hierarchical social primate species)
Dream interpretation (part of some religious shamanism)
Economic inequalities, consciousness of (involved in status and hierarchy disputes)
Emotions (necessary for Moral sense)
Empathy (necessary for Moral sense)
Entification (treating patterns and relations as things) (makes social Moral relations and problems real)
Envy (Moral trait)
Envy, symbolic means of coping with (dealing with Moral trait)
Ethnocentrism (xenophobia, group selection, war)
Etiquette (enhances social relations)
Facial communication (necessary for social relations)
Facial expression of anger (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expression of contempt (communication of Moral approval/disapproval )
Facial expression of disgust (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expression of fear (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expression of happiness (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expression of sadness (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expression of surprise (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Facial expressions, masking/modifying of (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Fairness (equity), concept of (foundation of social/Moral justice)
Family (or household) (the most basic social and Moral unit)
Father and mother, separate kin terms for (element in awareness of this social/Moral unit)
Fear of death (foundation of many religious customs and beliefs)
Fears (generate much religious and Moral behavior)
Feasting (part of many religious rituals)
Females do more direct childcare (division of labor in social hierarchical species)
Figurative speech (symbolic communication necessary for Moral reasoning)
Folklore (part of gossip)
Food sharing (form of cooperation and altruism)
Future, attempts to predict (necessary for Moral judgment)
Generosity admired (reward for cooperative and altruistic behavior)
Gestures (signs of recognition of others, conciliatory behavior)
Gift giving (reward for cooperative and altruistic behavior)
Good and bad distinguished (necessary for Moral judgment)
Gossip (necessary for monitoring social relations and to assess Moral value)
Government (social Morality)
Group living (social Morality)
Groups that are not based on family (necessary for higher Moral reasoning and blind altruism)
Healing the sick (or attempting to) (religious ritual)
Hope (higher Moral reasoning)
Hospitality (enhances social relations)
Identity, collective (necessary for group Moral relations/xenophobia)
Imagery (necessary for symbolic Moral reasoning and judgment)
Incest between mother and son unthinkable or tabooed (obvious evolutionary Moral trait)
Incest, prevention or avoidance (obvious evolutionary Moral trait)
In-group, biases in favor of (necessary for group Moral relations/xenophobia)
In-group distinguished from outgroup(s) (necessary for group Moral relations/xenophobia)
Inheritance rules (reduces conflict within families and communities)
Institutions (organized coactivities) (religion)
Insulting (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Intention (part of Moral reasoning and judgment)
Interpolation (part of Moral reasoning and judgment)
Interpreting behavior (necessary for Moral judgment)
Judging others (foundation of Moral approval/disapproval)
Kin, close distinguished from distant (foundation of kin selection and kin altruism)
Kin groups (foundation of kin selection/altruism and basic social group)
Kin terms translatable by basic relations of procreation (foundation of kin selection and kin altruism)
Kinship statuses (foundation of kin selection and kin altruism)
Language employed to manipulate others (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Language employed to misinform or mislead (communication of Moral approval/disapproval)
Language not a simple reflection of reality (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Law (rights and obligations) (foundation of social harmony)
Law (rules of membership) (foundation of social harmony)
Likes and dislikes (foundation of Moral judgment)
Logical notion of “equivalent” (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Logical notion of “general/particular” (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Logical notion of “not” (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Logical notion of “opposite” (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Logical notion of “part/whole” (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Logical notions (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Magic (religion and superstitious behavior)
Magic to increase life (religion and superstitious behavior)
Magic to sustain life (religion and superstitious behavior)
Magic to win love (Moral manipulation)
Making comparisons (necessary for Moral judgments)
Male and female and adult and child seen as having different natures (differences in Moral behavior)
Males dominate public/political realm (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Males engage in more coalitional violence (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Males more aggressive (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Males more prone to lethal violence (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Males more prone to theft (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Manipulate social relations (social Moral control)
Marriage (Moral rules of foundational relationship)
Mental maps (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Metaphor (symbolic Moral reasoning)
Mood-or consciousness-altering techniques and/or substances (religious ritual)
Moral sentiments (the foundation of all Morality)
Moral sentiments, limited effective range of (parameters of Moral foundation)
Mother normally has consort during child-rearing years (gender differences in Moral behavior)
Mourning (expression of grief part of symbolic Moral reasoning)
Murder proscribed (Moral judgment necessary in communities)
Music related in part to religious activity (religious rituals)
Myths (foundation of both religion and teaching of Moral principles)
Narrative (foundation of myths)
Normal distinguished from abnormal states (necessary for Moral judgment)
Oedipus complex (kin selection, Moral assessment of appropriate/inappropriate relations)
Oligarchy (de facto) (group social control)
Past/present/future (necessary for symbolic Moral reasoning)
Person, concept of (foundation for Moral judgment)
Planning for future (foundation for Moral judgment)
Preference for own children and close kin (nepotism)
Prestige inequalities (leads to Moral conflict)
Pride (a Moral sense)
Private inner life (foundation for Moral reasoning and judgment)
Promise (Moral relations)
Property (foundation of Moral reasoning and judgment)
Proverbs, sayings (teaching Moral principles)
Proverbs, sayings in mutually contradictory forms (teaching Moral principles)
Psychological defense mechanisms (psychology of Moral sense and assessment)
Rape (behavior leading to relational conflict)
Rape proscribed (behavior morally judged)
Reciprocal exchanges (of labor, goods, or services) (reciprocal altruism)
Reciprocity, negative (revenge, retaliation) (reduces reciprocal altruism)
Reciprocity, positive (enhances reciprocal altruism)
Redress of wrongs (Moral conflict resolution)
Resistance to abuse of power, to dominance (Moral conflict resolution)
Rites of passage (religious ritual, foundation of Moral assessment and judgment)
Rituals (religion and Morality)
Sanctions (social Moral control)
Sanctions for crimes against the collectivity (social Moral control)
Sanctions include removal from the social unit (social Moral control)
Self distinguished from other self as neither wholly passive nor wholly autonomous
Self is responsible (foundation of Moral reasoning)
Self-control (Moral assessment and judgment)
Self-image, awareness of (concern for what others think) (foundation of Moral reasoning)
Self-image, manipulation of (foundation of Moral reasoning)
Self-image, wanted to be positive (foundation of Moral reasoning)
Sex statuses (social hierarchy)
Sexual attraction (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexual attractiveness (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexual jealousy (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexual modesty (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexual regulation (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexual regulation includes incest prevention (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Sexuality as focus of interest (foundation of major Moral relations and tensions)
Shame (Moral sense)
Snakes, wariness around (foundation of religious ritual and mythology)
Social structure (foundation of Morality in humans)
Socialization (foundation of Morality in humans)
Socialization expected from senior kin (foundation of Morality in humans)
Statuses and roles (foundation of Morality in humans)
Statuses, ascribed and achieved (foundation of Morality in humans)
Statuses distinguished from individuals (foundation of Morality in humans)
Statuses on other than sex, age, or kinship bases (foundation of Morality in humans)
Stinginess, disapproval of (social and Moral control mechanism)
Succession (foundation of social hierarchy)
Symbolic speech (foundation of Moral reasoning and communication)
Symbolism (foundation of Moral reasoning)
Tabooed foods (element in Moral and social control)
Tabooed utterances (communication of Moral and social control)
Taboos (Moral and social control)
Territoriality (social control)
Time (religion, Moral reasoning)
Time, cyclicity of (religion, Moral reasoning)
Trade (part of social relations)
Triangular awareness (assessing relationships among the self and two other people) (foundation of Moral judgment)
True and false distinguished (necessary for Moral assessment and judgment)
Turn taking (conflict prevention)
Violence, some forms of proscribed (Moral and social control)
Visiting (social relations)
Weapons (conflict resolution)
Worldview (foundation of all religion and Morality)
Veritas Aequitas
Posts: 12357
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:41 am

Re: Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

The above human universals related to morality where supported by their specific neural correlated [scientific FSK] and justified within a moral FSK will constitute objective moral facts.
Wizard22
Posts: 2845
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:16 am

Re: Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by Wizard22 »

Interesting, which would you say are most important to common human life?
Iwannaplato
Posts: 6657
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:55 pm

Re: Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by Iwannaplato »

Veritas Aequitas wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 8:59 am The above human universals related to morality where supported by their specific neural correlated [scientific FSK] and justified within a moral FSK will constitute objective moral facts.
Violence is on the list.

There are neuronal correlates to violence.

Therefore, according to VA, violence is an objective moral fact.

So would also things like fear of strangers (which can combine nicely with violence).

There is no way to demonstrate that we should enhance empathy and cooperation over violence and conflict following VA's logic. Both have neuronal correlates. Both have to do with heuristics of interacting with others (morals).
Last edited by Iwannaplato on Sun May 28, 2023 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 6268
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by FlashDangerpants »

That list is of anthropological regularities, not philosophical Universals.
Veritas Aequitas
Posts: 12357
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:41 am

Re: Human Nature & Human Universals

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Peter Holmes wrote:'Human nature' is a fiction, so elements of human are also fictions. You pick and choose the ones that suit your ideology and/or your moral predilections.
Note this thread;
Human Nature & Human Universals
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40124
What is your counter to this?

Are you saying your own human nature [the oughtness to breathe, drink water, eat food,] that is common to all mankind is fiction?
Post Reply