CONSCIENCE AS MORALITY OR 'SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE'
theme: Social intelligence as a characteristic of survival value in human evolution. The evolution of the human species as a social species is based on the survival value of morality or 'social intelligence'. Social intelligence is a property of developed conscience. Development of conscience as social intelligence provides the selection pressure in the evolution of the human species as a social species.
"Obedience is no mechanical thing, but a natural force of social cohesion, intimately related to the will, even its sublimation. Obedience of the right kind is a sublimation of the individual's will, a quality in the human soul without which society could not exist. But an obedience without true self-control, an obedience which is not the consequence of an awakened and exercised will, brings whole nations to disaster." (Maria Montessori To Educate the Human Potential 123)
The human species The human species - 'homo sapiens' - is a biological species like other animal species. As a biological organism the human organism naturally behaves in accordance with an organismic valuing process which allows for adaptation to a changing social environment. In its efforts to adapt to social change, the human organism makes value choices according to the intrinsic organismic valuing process of moral consciousness or 'conscience'. The conscience is an emergent property of the 'brain'. Development of conscience is a function of depends on for development of morality or 'moral development'. Moral development depends on the provision of right fundamental conditions for psychological and spiritual growth i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education is concerned with development of human potential i.e. 'mature growth' or 'self-actualisation'.
Self-actualisation depends on respect for human needs All animal species make value choices on the basis of the organism's inherent tendency for self-preservation i.e. 'operative values'. The operative values of the human organism are the intrinsic motives for human thought and behaviour or 'human needs'. Human needs are biologically based instinctive needs - yearnings and desires based on capacities and talents which are related to the organismic striving for self-actualisation i.e. 'human values'. Human values as human needs are intrinsic to the organism and define the nature of the human personality i.e. 'human nature'. Human needs are the instinctive preferences of behaviour involved in the unfolding of human powers leading to the achievement of human potential and 'wholeness' i.e. 'wellness'. As biological needs they include basic psychological needs for self-esteem - the 'ego needs' - and spiritual needs for transcendance of the ego or 'self-transcendance' - the 'metaneeds'. Denial and frustration of human needs can lead to the pathological behaviour of human wickedness or 'evil'. Evil results from behaviour which is socially unadaptive because it is not motivated by human values.
Human values as requirements for human responsivess to change or 'adaptability' Human values are human needs which are rooted in the conditions of human existence. Human values do not exist outside the human condition and so have no objective validity. The validity of values exists only with regard to their biological function in the human capacity for adaptation to changing social conditions i.e. human 'adaptability'. Adaptability of the human infant is clearly dependent on the biological function of values. The infant prefers those experiences which serve to maintain and enhance those conditions which are appropriate for growth of the organism. Conditions which are not appropriate are instinctively rejected. With continued growth the human individual makes choices and decisions according to the developing conscience and lives by values which facilitate its own survival, adaptation, self-enhancement and the enhancement of the its species. As human needs the human values originate in the genetic makeup of the species.
Human values or 'virtues' evolved with the human species The human organism is a social organism and the attributes which are of value to the human organism in a social setting are the 'social values' or 'virtues'. Virtues are biological attributes for productive thought and behaviour which represent the development of conscience. The human conscience is the source of virtues which evolved through the process of natural selection as a result of their survival value to the human organism as a social organism. The virtues constitute the biological basis of the conscience as a mechanism for the integration of personality during adaptation to changes in the social environment i.e. 'biology of spirituality'. (In this context,it should be possible to replace the age-old philosophical analysis of virtues - as opposed to 'sins' - with the biological analysis of virtues as 'adaptive characteristics' of the human organism i.e. 'problem of ethics'. Sins are human behaviour patterns which are destructive to the organism and therefore 'non-adaptive'.) Virtues are favorable characteristics because the human organism as a social organism benefits from cooperative behaviour. This depends on the ability to evaluate the social environment with accuracy and to make the right decisions for successful adaptation i.e. 'social intelligence'.
Social intelligence required for correct evaluation of changes in the social environment Social intelligence is required for correct evaluation of the social environment and for rational choice of action leading to creative and productive or 'adaptive behaviour'. The human capacity for adaptive behaviour depends on the capacity to transcend the separateness of human existence and to communicate and cooperate with others while at the same time preserving personal integrity. Personality integration and cooperation with others is made possible through feelings of solidarity expressed as 'fellowship', 'brotherhood' and 'universal love' or 'agape'. Love is compassion or 'loving kindness'. Situations in which the individual needs to make a value judgement - 'moral situation' - involve adaptive decision making which depends on the development of conscience i.e. 'morality'. Morality is social intelligence. The development of social intelligence is a function of the evolution and development of the human organism as a social organism. During normal growth and cognitive and moral development unfold together in a series of stages i.e. 'sociocognitive stages'. Sociocognitive stages are functional in the development of the brain as a 'social brain' the source of social values or 'natural ethics' . Natural ethics are the product of the human apacity for 'reason' hence 'rational ethics'. Evolution of rational ethics is a function of evolution of the human conscience i.e. 'evolution of ethics'.
Social intelligence depends on perception
of the whole or 'holistic perception' As a biological species, the human species is a social species which
depends for survival and adaptive behaviour on the successful adaptation to
changing social conditions. Behavioural adaptation depends on the ability to
make correct evaluations of changing social realities to comprehend the world -
make meaning or 'learn'. The human capacity for learning depends on
proper development and functioning of the brain.
The human brain is a social brain which evolved with ability to function with 'global
perception' i.e. 'holistic perception'
Holistic perception engages the organism's
instinctive interest in the environmental reality in its uniqueness
but also within the context of its relationships to the totality of the whole of
which it is a part. Holistic perception
involves both affective or 'emotional' and rational or 'intellectual'
aspects of brain functioning which combines the understanding of
'reason' with the
wisdom of
'compassion' and leads to 'holistic cognition'
Implications for education Development of conscience depends on unconditional love of parental care and the right conditions for growth and development or 'education'. The aim of education is development of human potential for natural productiveness or 'work'. Freedom to work which engages development of personality and character is the aim of education for the whole person or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is education for responsible 'freedom'. Responsible freedom engages both intellectual and emotional powers and depends on both cognitive and moral development i.e. 'social intelligence'. The complete development of social intelligence is a function of development of 'conscience' and natural wholistic functioning of the brain i.e. 'brain-based learning'. Holistic brain-based learning is 'experiential learning' which leads to the development of social intelligence.
RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE / RETURN TO INTRODUCTION / RETURN TO HOMEPAGE
Human behavior - moral and immoral - involves making decisions about a course of action previous to the action itself. The process of decision making is based on judgement and choice of values made antecedent to the decisions made and the actions taken. The situation in which the individual needs to make a judgement and choose a value is called a 'moral situation'.
Connection between morality and social intelligence: Morality is a function of social intelligence. Development of morality is development of social intelligence. Social intelligence is moral intelligence or 'morality'...development of intelligence and morality go together A moral value choice is intelligent A value choice which is moral is socially intelligent a value choice which is socially intelligent is moral... Morally intelligent value choices are beneficial to the survival interests of the human organism and to the survival of the human species... immoral value choices are unintelligent...
The social human organism depends for survival on socially intelligent behaviour or 'values'.
Intelligence is a human characteristic which evolved because it had survival value for the species.
Survival of the human organism and the human species depends on accurate perception of social realities... intelligent social behaviour or 'social intelligence'. ....
Survival of the organism and evolution of the human species depends on the development of intelligence. An essential condition of all intelligent human behaviour is the ability to prepare for possible action in situations which might exist in the future. Intelligent preparation for the future and future danger ...intelligent behaviour... is necessary for survival of a species which is not endowed with the other physical protective mechanisms of other animal species....
Preparation for possible action in situations not as yet existent in actuality is an essential condition of, and factor in, all intelligent behavior.....
Man survived as a species because of the specialized brain functions... specialized brain functions for learning and social intelligence..
The human organism depends on the ability for learning, for speech and for tool making etc. for wholistic perspective of complete cognition...
Intelligent social behaviour depends on specialized functions of a 'social brain'. The human brain is a social brain with the special capacity for making correct evaluations of changing social realities. As a social brain, the human brain automatically evaluates the realities of the social environment. The social human organism depends for survival on intelligent behavior... on the innate ability to evaluate correctly the social environment in order to make the right choices for survival.
With intense interest in the environment... with intense interest in reality, the social brain is affected and stimulated emotionally and intellectually, subconsciously and consciously involved in a process of understanding the complexities of a social reality... realities of the social environment. The extent of understanding is a function of the degree of accuracy in the evaluation of the social environment.
Social intelligence is the prerequisite for health which results from nondistorted perception of reality which does not perceive dichotomies. (see holistic health) The human organism depends on the conscience for survival... of the individual organism and survival of the species.
Social intelligence is a human characteristic which evolved because it had survival value for the species. Survival of the organism and evolution of the human species depends on the development of social intelligence.
Intelligent behavior is necessary for survival.
EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES AS A SOCIAL SPECIES The evolution of the human species as a social species results from natural selection of a brain capacities for 'social intelligence'. .. instinctive capacities for correct evaluation of the social environment.
Successful adaptation to changing social conditions depends on the development of social intelligence.
The human species is essentially an exploratory species... depends for survival on interest in the enviroment...and CORRECT EVALUATION ... interest in the environement depends on intrinsic conscience ..social intelligence a prerequisite is psychological health - 'self-actualization'
Evolution of the conscience is evolution of intelligent social behaviour for survival of the organism and survival of the species...
The evolution of the human species as a social species is based on the survival value of 'social intelligence'. For survival, the human organism depends on the ability to evaluate correctly the social environment in order to make the right choices for survival. As a social organism, the human depends for survival on comprehension and correct evaluation of the realities of the social environment.