Philosophy of Religion Research
Forgiving Moral Wrongs in the Noble Quran and Their Evolutionary Explanations
Document Type : Original Research
Author
Associate Professor, Department of Science Studies, Iranian Institute of Philosophy, Tehran, Iran
10.30497/prr.2024.244915.1851
Abstract
Human beings morally wrong each other. Forgiving is one moral reaction to those wrongs. The Noble Quran prescribes that some wrongs be forgiven and some don't. These prescriptions can be explained by evolutionary theory especially by natural selection. Natural selection can act at different levels especially at individual level and group level. Forgiveness preserves biologically valuable relations with relatives, friends and so on. Therefore, individual selection favors such forgivers to those who seek revenge. Forgiveness in The Noble Quran is over and above reciprocation. Research in game theory shows that it is, but in the long run promotes reciprocation. Group selection distinguishes between forgiving in-groups and out-groups, and between those in-groups that act according to group morality and those that don't, and between those out-groups that could become in-groups and those that could not. The Noble Quran's prescriptions about forgiving enemies and doing good deeds in response to their evil deeds, or not forgiving are best understood by these distinctions. The Noble Quran's prescriptions about forgiveness have been selected by cultural group selection.
Keywords
Main Subjects
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