HUMANS and other social animals depend on one another to survive, to build homes, hunt, reproduce and raise offspring. So it makes sense that we have evolved an aversion to behaviours that threaten to rip the social fabric. Patricia Churchland makes a compelling case that morality is woven into our brains, anchored in the neurobiology of attachment and bonding. It is the compass that helps us navigate the social world.
The author is loyal to the relevant research literature, but sometimes veers into philosophical digressions that seem only tangentially relevant.
Ultimately, the idea that neuroscience can explain morality is not particularly revelatory or ground-breaking. Still, this smart, lucid and often entertaining book will give any curious mind a good overview of how the brain learns to distinguish right from wrong.
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Braintrust: What neuroscience tells us about morality
Churchland, Princeton University Press