James Rachels

Presumably science is concerned with facts, not with values. Yet some scientific theories do seem to imply moral consequences. When the theory of natural selection was first proposed, some philosophers, notably Herbert Spencer, tried to translate the principles of evolution directly into human moral values. Modern philosophers consider this to be a transparent error, and even give the error its own name: the naturalistic fallacy.

James Rachels is a professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. His chief area of interest is ethics, including biomedical ethics. His other writings include The Elements of Moral Philosophy and a classic essay on euthanasia, "Active and Passive Euthanasia."

In this selection Rachels explains Herbert Spencer's original argument for a Darwinian morality, pointing out that it is actually a more sophisticated argument (and more humane) than the view usually attributed to...