Gazzaniga: Toward a Universal Ethics

Brian Fratto

9/17/13

            In his “Toward a Universal Ethics”, Michael Gazzaniga ponders the relationship between ethical behavior and brain function.  Gazzaniga, a psychology professor and neuroscientist, discusses the issue of whether our “moral truths” are universally regarded, or rather derived from our internal attitudes. Gazzinaga states that brain imaging suggests that when making a moral decision, “our brains are responding to the great underlying moral dilemmas. Our actions, (or inactions) and moral beliefs are a composition our cultural and social experiences as well as our basic need to survive. Thus, it would seem obvious that people with different backgrounds and experiences would respond differently to common moral dilemmas. However, according to the research of Marc Hauser, people make constantly similar moral choices “irrespective of sex, age, and culture.” Gazzaniga claims that this is due to our common evolutionary biases to preserve ourselves. Gazzaniga states that there are certain rules that our moral truths are based on, and that regardless of whether they are stored within our brain or “independently of us”, there exists a “universal ethics that arises from being human, which is … contextual, emotion-influenced and designed to increase our survival.”

            Personally, I find it hard to agree or disagree with Gazzaniga due to the fact that I do not have the expertise that he has. I find it hard to believe in a “universal ethics” due to the fact that all people are different, and have different brains that perceive things differently. No two people think exactly alike, and morality and ethical behavior follow the same pattern. However, there are certain situations, like the one given in the text, in which it appears that there is only one proper solution that is morally correct.