Disvalues in Nature

Why it is Important to Take Account of History

“…Reverting to the language of value for a moment, it strikes me that in order to explain and justify a commitment to the natural world on the basis of value, one need only demonstrate the presence of a sufficiency of value. However, both Holmes Rolston (1992) and Robin Attfield (2006, chap. 6), to cite two notable examples, insist on going further.…”

Animal Suffering, Evolution, and the Origins of Evil: Toward a “Free Creatures” Defense

“…In other words, why should the system underlying life's evolutionary creation be so structured that “arms races” between predators and prey generate so much adaptive novelty (Vermeij, )? Finally, one might ask why parasites should reap the evolutionary benefits of such ruthlessly selfish behaviors—taking “a tremendous toll of life with scarcely any return that we can see” (Rolston , 255). Though such evolutionary evils or “disvalues” may not be ultimately necessary for the creation of life through natural selection, they are certainly behaviors that move selection more effectively along nevertheless.…”

“…As a result, an extended evolutionary synthetic understanding of human and animal behavioral origins informed by the empirical discovery of evolutionary gradualism and continuity, behaviorally induced epigenetic inheritance, and niche selection actually helps one to make more sense of a narrative reading of the Hebrew Bible's affirmation of the prehuman capacity for “sin” in animals. But perhaps, as Rolston argues, we should refrain altogether from making such moral judgments about the “amoral” realm of nonhuman animals and resist the temptation to attribute disvalue to the more disturbing aspects of the world of nature (Rolston , 275). Since “we cannot formulate the question whether there is value in nature independently of human experience,” the perceived evils of predation and even parasitism become simply a matter of perspective (Rolston , 251).…”

“…But perhaps, as Rolston argues, we should refrain altogether from making such moral judgments about the “amoral” realm of nonhuman animals and resist the temptation to attribute disvalue to the more disturbing aspects of the world of nature (Rolston , 275). Since “we cannot formulate the question whether there is value in nature independently of human experience,” the perceived evils of predation and even parasitism become simply a matter of perspective (Rolston , 251). “Selfishness,” says Rolston, “can be a disvalue in nature only if there is moral agency present” (Rolston , 256).…”

Re‐reading Genesis, John, and Job: A Christian Response to Darwinism

“…9 9 Cf. Rolston's important analysis of why advanced computation evolves only in the brains of creatures adapted to eat or be eaten (Rolston 1992). …”