Well, I’d be inclined to agree that the prior probability of some civilization adopting this is low [1], but I can’t agree with what seems to be your implicit assumption that a non-predispositive attitude can’t be widespread—partially because group inteterests are defined much more widely than adaptiveness.
[1] I’d probably extend that to anything other than “don’t lie or break your promises,” “play tit for tat,” “do what the ruling power says,” or “maximize utility,” and even those I wouldn’t say are anything like sure bets.
Hmm...actually, the implicit assumption I was making was that aliens would forgive another species for adopting norms that they considered non-predispositive.
A Western human would not forgive another culture for torturing sentient beings, for example...but they would forgive another culture for polyamory/polygamy/polygyny. A human can make the distinction between morality which is instinctive and morality which is culturally constructed, and the latter can be compromised in certain contexts.
But you are right, bad implicit assumption. Aliens might not make that distinction.
Well, I’d be inclined to agree that the prior probability of some civilization adopting this is low [1], but I can’t agree with what seems to be your implicit assumption that a non-predispositive attitude can’t be widespread—partially because group inteterests are defined much more widely than adaptiveness.
[1] I’d probably extend that to anything other than “don’t lie or break your promises,” “play tit for tat,” “do what the ruling power says,” or “maximize utility,” and even those I wouldn’t say are anything like sure bets.
Hmm...actually, the implicit assumption I was making was that aliens would forgive another species for adopting norms that they considered non-predispositive.
A Western human would not forgive another culture for torturing sentient beings, for example...but they would forgive another culture for polyamory/polygamy/polygyny. A human can make the distinction between morality which is instinctive and morality which is culturally constructed, and the latter can be compromised in certain contexts.
But you are right, bad implicit assumption. Aliens might not make that distinction.