Evolutionary Perspectives and Transdisciplinary Intersections: A Roadmap to Generative Areas of Overlap in Discussing Human Nature

This essay assesses a subset of approaches to the topic of human nature(s) and endeavors to identify generative areas of overlap for transdisciplinary conversation. Rather than pursue a resolution to the problem of potentially incompatible frameworks across perspectives, I seek to provide a template, or a roadmap, for a better conversation. My conclusions derive from a targeted literature assessment of subareas within the disciplines of philosophy, biology, anthropology, psychology, and theology, emphasizing those open to evolutionary contexts. I highlight eighteen core elements/themes and propose a few central thematic clusters as foci for moving the exchange on human nature between theology and science forward.     

指示性手势：来自动物交流系统的证据

指示性手势通常被定义为指明空间中某个物体或处所的手部动作, 但其是否为人类交流系统所独有, 心理学界做了大量研究。通过回顾这一领域的主要理论以及相关争论, 结果发现：动物既可能具有使用指示性手势的能力, 也可以解读手势背后的社会认知意图。未来研究在克服样本数量不一致、实验任务笼统以及研究方法单一等不足的基础上, 还应当注意心理学、语言学以及生物学等多学科的交汇融合。     

动物创造创新:最简单的智慧闪光

动物创造力既有重要的生态和进化意义,也为人类创造力的研究提供了借鉴与启发。文章首先概括了近年学者们对动物创造力的定义;其次介绍了动物创造力理论的变化;重点总结了影响动物创造力的内部因素,分别是动物的探索性、新异恐惧、学习能力和坚持性,随后针对动物创造力不同脑区及相关神经递质的研究进行了展开讨论,并对动物创造力未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

A RANDOMNESS‐BASED THEODICY FOR EVOLUTIONARY EVILS

We develop and knit together several theodicies in order to find a more complete picture of why certain forms of (nonhuman) animal suffering might be permitted by a perfect being. We focus on an especially potent form of the problem of evil, which arises from considering why a perfectly good, wise, and powerful God might use evolutionary mechanisms that predictably result in so much animal suffering and loss of life. There are many existing theodicies on the market, and although they offer helpful resources, we combine and further develop several proposals to produce a composite theodicy that avoids certain shortcomings of the individual theodicies. An important element of our project is locating a role for randomness in cosmic and biological evolution. In particular, we show how randomness might enhance or enable certain goods, including everlasting goods, at the risk of temporary evils.     

Equality,its Basis and Moral Status: Challenging the Principle of Equal Consideration of Interests

The principle of equal consideration of interests (ECOI) is a very popular principle in animal ethics. Peter Singer employs it to ground equal treatment and solve the problem of the basis of equality, namely the problem of why we should grant equal treatment despite the variability of people’s features. In this paper, I challenge Singer’s argument because ECOI does not provide plausible grounds to presume that the interests of diverse individuals are actually equal. Analyzing the case of pain and the interest in not suffering in particular, I contend that there are some insurmountable epistemic and axiological problems in accounting for the equality of interests. Besides criticizing ECOI as a basis of equality, I argue that we need to rely on an equality of moral status. I conclude by providing some considerations on the relation between equality and the principle of proportionality.     

Bentham on animal welfare

Jeremy Bentham is often thought to have set the groundwork for the modern ‘animal liberation’ movement, but in fact he wrote little on the subject. A full examination of his work reveals a less radical position than that commonly attributed to him. Bentham was the first Western philosopher to grant animals equal consideration from within a comprehensive, non-religious moral theory, and he was a staunch defender of animal welfare laws. But he also approved of killing and using animals, as long as pointless cruelty could be avoided. The nuances of his position are best brought out by comparing it to that of Peter Singer, who draws considerably more radical practical conclusions. This is not primarily explained by competing formulations of utilitarianism, however, but by different empirical background assumptions about the lives of animals.     

Behavioral skills training in scent detection research: Interactions between trainer and animal behavior

Animal trainers working in scent detection programs are responsible for arranging training contingencies as well as for observing and recording animal behavior. We provided behavioral skills training (BST) to animal trainers working with scent detection rats to improve the treatment integrity of scent‐detection research sessions. We evaluated the trainers' behavior at baseline and during the sequential introduction of each component of BST (instructions, modeling, and feedback). We observed incremental improvements in treatment integrity with the introduction of each BST component. Posttraining probes revealed that these improvements were sustained at least 3 weeks post‐BST. As the trainers' behavior was modified during BST, we observed decrements in measures of rat performance. We discuss the nature of these interactions and their implications for the use of BST in scent detection research and in situations in which intervention with one party produces concomitant effects on the behavior of another.     

Longitudinal effects of human supremacy beliefs and vegetarianism threat on moral exclusion (vs. inclusion) of animals

Stronger beliefs in human supremacy over animals, and stronger perceived threat posed by vegetarianism to traditional practices, are associated with stronger speciesism and more meat consumption. Both variables might also be implicated in the moral exclusion of animals. We tested this potential in a 16-month longitudinal study in the USA (N = 219). Human supremacy showed longitudinal effects on the moral exclusion of all animals. Vegetarianism threat only predicted moral exclusion of food animals (e.g., cows and pigs), and, unexpectedly, appealing wild animals (e.g., chimps and dolphins). These findings demonstrate the importance of both human supremacy and perceived threat in explaining moral exclusion of animals and highlight potential paradoxical negative consequences of the rise of vegetarianism.     

Comprehension of human pointing gestures in horses (Equus caballus)

Twenty domestic horses (Equus caballus) were tested for their ability to rely on different human gesticular cues in a two-way object choice task. An experimenter hid food under one of two bowls and after baiting, indicated the location of the food to the subjects by using one of four different cues. Horses could locate the hidden reward on the basis of the distal dynamic-sustained, proximal momentary and proximal dynamic-sustained pointing gestures but failed to perform above chance level when the experimenter performed a distal momentary pointing gesture. The results revealed that horses could rely spontaneously on those cues that could have a stimulus or local enhancement effect, but the possible comprehension of the distal momentary pointing remained unclear. The results are discussed with reference to the involvement of various factors such as predisposition to read human visual cues, the effect of domestication and extensive social experience and the nature of the gesture used by the experimenter in comparative investigations.     

条件化恐惧复发的动物模型及相关神经机制

创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)受到国内外普遍关注, 临床上常用的暴露疗法就是基于消退原理, 但经过治疗的患者复发率仍然很高, 这提示抑制复发可能是治疗创伤后应激障碍的关键问题。条件性恐惧复发的动物模型主要包括重建、续新和自发恢复, 但是对续新的研究最多。前人的研究结果表明, 恐惧复发具有异质性, 但海马、前额叶与杏仁核三大脑区或许构成了共同的神经基础。文章从脑区机制及药理干预方面进行了综述, 以期对基础研究和临床诊治提供参考。