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origin of virtue

In the Descent of Man, Darwin points out a problem in his theory of how the virtues arise: those most likely to practice the virtue of heroic self-sacrifice are also most likely to die exercising it, hence less likely to have reproductive success than non-heroes.

I forget Darwin's solution, but one solution is to point out that if humans are able to recognize the inherent desirability of acting courageously, then some will practice this virtue because it is good to do so while others will praise it in a convincing manner.

This account is more plausible than saying that the praise of courage is a useful lie to dupe soldiers and the like (okay, I don't think Darwin says this, but I am looking for a contrasting position, perhaps something like what is proposed by one of Socrates' interlocutors at the beginning of the Republic). The problem with the latter is that those called to act courageously. If people just praised it because it is useful for getting others to practice it, then everyone would know that this praise is insincere. It would fail to motivate.
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Leo White said…
file this under "desire"
9:55 AM
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