Ameoba Morality

So I’ve written a fair bit on this blog about evolution, biology, sociability, and morality (1 2 3). It’s a favorite theme of mine both because of the fact that so many Theists argue that morality can’t exist without God and because I strongly believe that if you want to seriously study natural law the best place to look is nature. So when I found this article on altruism, evolution, and Amoebas I just had to post a link up to it here.

So – a challenge to the godheads who insist that religion is the only viable source of morality – explain to me how it is that single-celled amoebas are willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of the colony? Are there Amoeba missionaries teaching them Christ’s word? Is it hope of eternal reward in some slimy dung-filled afterlife way above the clouds motivating this ultimate act of selflessness? Or is it that evolution makes cooperation among social animals a highly successful group strategy?

Maybe that’s why the Christians are so opposed to the teaching of evolution: because a functional understanding of how the world actually works explains human emotions like love, compassion, selflessness, and other social impulses far better then the Bible ever could.

Posted: November 29th, 2007 under gods & religion, science and history.
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