Description
Book SynopsisCan we discover morality in nature? Flowers and Honeybees extends the considerable scientific knowledge of flowers and honeybees through a philosophical discussion of the origins of morality in nature. Flowering plants and honeybees form a social group where each requires the other. They do not intentionally harm each other, both reason, and they do not compete for commonly required resources. They also could not be more different. Flowering plants are rooted in the ground and have no brains. Mobile honeybees can communicate the location of flower resources to other workers. We can learn from a million-year-old social relationship how morality can be constructed and maintained over time.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface: Introducing the Meadow Introduction 1 The Question This Study Explores 2 The Shape of This Study Cited References 1 Optimization, MEP, and Mutualism 1 Introduction 2 Optimization 3 Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) 4 Mutualism Cited References 2 Emergence of the Flower and Honeybee Mutualism and Flower and Honeybee Ontology and Morphology 1 Introduction 2 Evolution of the Flower Honeybee Mutualism 3 Emergence 4 Angiosperm Morphology 5 Flower Morphology 6 Honeybee Eusociality and Morphology 7 The Moral Honeybee Cited References 3 Flower and Honeybee Epistemology and Behavior 1 Introduction 2 Angiosperm Epistemology and Behavior 3 Plant Intelligence—a Philosophical Discussion 4 Honeybee Epistemology and Behavior 5 Consciousness in Flowers and Honeybees 6 Moral Elegance Cited References 4 Epigenetics 1 Epigenetics Defined 2 Promise of Epigenetics 3 Epigenetic Purposes 4 General Implications of Epigenetics 5 Implications of Epigenetics for Flowers and Honeybees Cited References 5 The Good and the Emergence of Morality in the Flower and Honeybee Mutualism 1 Introduction 2 Asymmetricity 3 Responsibility 4 Reciprocal Responsibility 5 Up from Value 6 Hospitality 7 Pragmatic Naturalism 8 Altruism 9 Singer’s Requirements for Morality to Emerge Applied to Flowers and Honeybees 10 Epigenetic Rules 11 Naturalistic Fallacies and Naturalistic Facts 12 Flower and Honeybee Oughts and Obligates 13 Morality in Nature Cited References 6 Study Summary and a Critique of Maximization 1 Study Summary 2 A Brief and Preliminary Critique of Maximization Cited References Index
