The aim of this paper is to rebuild the main hypothesis of Churchland’s "Braintrust" (2011) postulating that the origins of sociability and morality lie in the neuro-biology of attachment and bonding. The author sides with Hume’s conception of morality as grounded in sentiments but Churchland conceives them principally in biological terms by tracing them back to the neurocircuitry of the brain and hormones. Particularly, she puts forward the hypothesis that oxytocin (OXT) is the responsible for the social and moral behavior of mammals, including humans. By the end of this paper, we will address Churchland’s criticism of the moral innateness thesis and we will briefly discuss the strong and weak points of her proposal.
Table of Contents
1. Contextualizing Churchland’s Braintrust
2. Neurophilosophy and the Challenge of the “World of Values”
3. The “Biological Moral Sentiments”
4. Concluding Remarks
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to reconstruct the central hypothesis of Patricia Churchland’s Braintrust (2011), which posits that the foundations of sociability and morality are deeply rooted in the neurobiology of attachment and bonding. The paper explores the shift from traditional metaphysical interpretations of morality to a biological framework, specifically investigating how neurocircuitry and hormones, particularly oxytocin, facilitate human social and moral behavior.
- The integration of neuroscience and philosophy (Neurophilosophy) as a unified discipline.
- The transition from Humean “moral sentiments” to a biological understanding of ethics.
- The role of the Prefrontal Cortex and the hormone oxytocin in mediating social attachment and cooperation.
- A critical evaluation of Churchland’s rejection of moral innateness and traditional formalist moral theories.
Excerpt from the Book
The “Biological Moral Sentiments”
In his famous Politics Aristotle defines man as a zōon politikon, whose full realization culminated in the polis, the very corollary of an intrinsic and rational tendency toward sociability. In its essence, Churchland subscribes to the Aristotelian thesis of conceiving man as social by nature but she disagrees on how that is to be justified. Whereas in Aristotle the affectio societatis was sustained by an all-pervading, intelligent logos, in Churchland, sociability is utterly explained from a materialistic and brain-dependant viewpoint, which combines Hume’s “moral sentiments” with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. In effect, for Churchland, the brain is the locus out of which all social values originate and, in addition, these values would not be metaphysically “given” but would rather have a clear evolutionary raison d’être. In particular, she argues that it is attachment and trust the basic platform that predisposes human beings, as well as other mammals, to socialize and to behave morally and politically.
Concerning morality specifically, Churchland offers the following hypothesis that she will systematically defend throughout her book: […] what we humans call ethics or morality is a four-dimensional scheme for social behavior that is shaped by interlocking brain processes: (1) caring (rooted in attachment to kin and kith and care for their well-being), (2) recognition of others’ psychological states (rooted in the benefits of predicting the behavior others), (3) problem-solving in a social context (e.g., how we should distribute scarce goods, settle land disputes; how we should punish the miscreants), and (4) learning social practices (by positive and negative reinforcement, by imitation, by trial and error, by various kinds of conditioning, and by analogy). (Bold mine) (2011, 9)
Summary of Chapters
1. Contextualizing Churchland’s Braintrust: This chapter introduces the core tenets of Neurophilosophy and the epistemological shift towards Eliminative Materialism as a scientific approach to understanding the mind.
2. Neurophilosophy and the Challenge of the “World of Values”: This section analyzes the conflict between naturalism and normativism, specifically focusing on Churchland’s reinterpretation of Hume’s naturalistic fallacy to justify a biological basis for ethics.
3. The “Biological Moral Sentiments”: This chapter examines the evolutionary origins of attachment and cooperation, detailing how the Prefrontal Cortex and oxytocin function as the biological foundation for social behavior.
4. Concluding Remarks: This final section provides a critical synthesis of Churchland’s proposal, acknowledging the significance of her work while questioning the efficacy of her critique against traditional moral philosophy.
5. Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and references consulted in the development of the paper.
Keywords
Neuroscience, Neurophilosophy, Patricia Churchland, Morality, Sociability, Oxytocin, Evolution, Attachment, Eliminative Materialism, Moral Sentiments, Biology, Prefrontal Cortex, Ethics, Naturalism, Cognition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
This paper focuses on rebuilding the main hypothesis presented in Patricia Churchland’s Braintrust, exploring how human morality and sociability are grounded in neurobiological processes rather than metaphysical concepts.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The paper covers the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy, the evolutionary biology of mammalian attachment, the neurochemistry of social behavior, and a critique of traditional formalist moral theories.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to explain how Churchland utilizes empirical data—specifically regarding brain function and hormonal influence—to naturalize ethics and provide a scientific account of human social behavior.
Which scientific methodology is primarily discussed?
The paper discusses the methodology of "scientifying" the mind, which relies on Eliminative Materialism and empirical research in neuroscience to replace traditional introspective psychology.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body details the evolution of the mammalian brain, the specific function of the Prefrontal Cortex, the role of oxytocin in promoting trust and cooperation, and the debate surrounding the is-ought distinction.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include Neuroscience, Neurophilosophy, Morality, Sociability, Oxytocin, and Evolutionary Biology.
How does Churchland interpret Hume’s "moral sentiments" in a modern biological context?
Churchland views Hume's "moral sentiments" not as abstract concepts, but as practical orientations rooted in the neurocircuitry of the brain, driven by passions and emotions that promote survival and cooperation.
What role does oxytocin play in the author's argument regarding moral behavior?
Oxytocin is identified as the chief neurochemical responsible for bonding, trust, and empathy in mammals, acting by inhibiting the amygdala to reduce defensive or aggressive responses in social situations.
Why does the author critique the "moral innateness" thesis of Marc Hauser?
The author argues that Hauser confuses universality with innateness, suggesting that common social behaviors are often shared solutions to common environmental problems rather than the result of an innate "moral organ."
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- Jonathan Arriola (Autor:in), 2014, Sociability and Morality in Patricia Churchland’s "Braintrust". An Introduction to Neurophilosophy, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/347019
