{"id":7402,"date":"2024-03-14T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7402"},"modified":"2024-01-08T20:03:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T20:03:30","slug":"looking-at-michael-tomasellos-book-2016-a-natural-history-of-human-morality-part-11-of-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7402","title":{"rendered":"Looking at Michael Tomasello’s Book (2016) “A Natural History of Human Morality” (Part 11 of 22)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

0490 Chapter four is titled, “Objective Morality”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why apply the qualifier, “objective”, instead of “third-person”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0491 Here is a picture of Tomasello’s three interlocking movements,<\/em> once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To me, the pattern is obvious.  But, what is the difference between Tomasello’s qualifier, “objective”<\/em> and the pattern-completing qualifier, “third-person”<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who could the third person<\/em> be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0492 Before addressing this question, I must step back and consider the primary social circle under cultural selection for each era of intentionality<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, every social circle<\/em> undergoes cultural selection<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, it is crucial to recall which social circles are under more intense selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which social circle<\/em> stands in the place of interdependence2b<\/sub>?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In each era, one social circle2b<\/sub><\/em> stands out as the primary site where interdependence2b<\/sub><\/em> emerges from and situates cooperation1b<\/sub><\/em> in the normal context of cultural selection3b<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0493 For the era of individual intentionality,<\/em> the band2b<\/sub> must maintain a balance between power2H<\/sub> and affiliation2V<\/sub> in the face of predation1b<\/sub>.  The normal context is cultural selection3b<\/sub>, in the always productive tropical forest3b<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0494 For the era of joint intentionality,<\/em> the team2b<\/sub> must balance productivity2H<\/sub> and having fun2V<\/sub> in meeting the demands of obligate collaborative foraging1b<\/sub><\/em>.  The normal context is cultural selection3b<\/sub>, in seasonally and locally productive mixed forest and savannah3b<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0495 For the era of collective intentionality,<\/em> the community2b<\/sub> must balance between something more powerful than productivity2H<\/sub><\/em> and something more worthy of affiliation than having fun2V<\/sub><\/em>.  Tomasello does not name these contributing actualities.  Instead, he covers both with the blanket term, “objective morality”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does this work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, isn’t something that is objectively moral<\/em> more powerful than productivity and more <\/em>worthy of affiliation than having fun?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0496 Something that is objectively moral2b<\/sub><\/em> emerges from and situates the potential of competing tribes, migrating due to a varying climate, and settling novel environments and ecologies1b<\/sub><\/em> in the normal context of cultural selection during the Pleistocene3b<\/sub><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0497 I ask, “If the band<\/em> is a congery of family and intimate relations,<\/em> at most, and one-person intentionality,<\/em> in general, then the term, ‘first-person morality’ seems appropriate.  If the team<\/em> is a web of ‘you-me’ relations<\/em> and shared intentionality<\/em>, then the descriptor, ‘second-person’ morality should apply.  If the community<\/em> is a web of team relations,<\/em>where ‘you-me’ relations<\/em> abound and influence the operations of every social circle, then why doesn’t the label,<\/em> ‘third-person morality’ apply?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why use the qualifier,<\/em> “objective”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

0498 Tomasello offers Figure 4.1 as an illustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three stick figures dance around the totem that appears in Figure 3.1<\/em> (the one that more-or-less says, “We legitimately self-regulate according to our responsibility”).  But, now the triangle is an ellipse that basically says, “We express a collective commitment to right versus wrong”. A double arrow<\/em> passes between each stick figure<\/em>.  Then, a single dotted arrow passes<\/em> from the head of each stick figure<\/em> to the former triangle, now ellipse<\/em>.  Then a solid arrow<\/em> descends to the double arrows between each figure,<\/em> showing that individual awareness<\/em> proceeds to the ellipse<\/em> and the ellipse<\/em> fortifies the double-arrow binding each “you-me” relation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suppose that the triangle, now ellipse,<\/em> represents objective morality<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0499 I could say that Figure 4.1 illustrates third-person morality<\/em> because there are three stick figures<\/em>.  But, that would be a cheap comment<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I offer an alternate picture,<\/em> since the two figures in 3.1 represent a “you-me” relation.  Indeed, the two figures in 3.1<\/em> now represent every “you-me” relation in all the social circles,<\/em> but most crucially, the community<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One third-person<\/em> encompasses the two individuals in each and every “you-me” relation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0500 Surely, something that is third-person moral<\/em> is more powerful than productivity<\/em> and more worthy of affiliation than having fun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, this third-person<\/em> can be expressed as a fully grammatical hand-talk statement<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[POINT to self][POINT to others in conversation][PANTOMIME bringing sticks together and tying a string around them][POINT to my lips][POINT to sky]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the statement is nonsensical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, I can roughly translate the statement as, “We belong to the one who binds us together like sticks, without us knowing why.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

0490 Chapter four is titled, “Objective Morality”. Why apply the qualifier, “objective”, instead of “third-person”? 0491 Here is a picture of Tomasello’s three interlocking movements, once again. To me, the pattern is obvious.  But, what is the difference between Tomasello’s qualifier, “objective” and the pattern-completing qualifier, “third-person”. Who could the third person be? 0492 Before addressing this question, I must step back and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[417],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking at Michael Tomasello's Book (2016) "A Natural History of Human Morality" (Part 11 of 22) - An Archaeology of the Fall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This examination considers Tomasello\u2019s book on the origins of morality through the lens of the category based nested form.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7402\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking at Michael Tomasello's Book (2016) "A Natural History of Human Morality" (Part 11 of 22) - 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