Evolutionary Ethics -- Disconnect between biology and ethics Ruse and Wilson in “Moral Philosophy as Applied Science” give the example of brother-sister incest avoidance as being an ethical code motivated by an epigenetic rule that confers an adaptive advantage on those who avoid intercourse with their siblings. In this discussion, Ruse and Wilson argue that moral laws disallowing incest are redundant relics of mankind’s evolutionary history that provide nothing to mankind but explanations of …showed first 75 words of 1891 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1891 total…continue to follow them. Ethics and biology inhabit different realms; biology may be able to explain the genesis of ethics, but it cannot explain the content in any way. My parents may be able to explain the circumstances surrounding my birth, but they cannot explain my thoughts or dreams at all. They may have been responsible for my existence, but they have no connection to my decision-making process. So it is with ethics and biology.