ABSTRACT
James Wilson contends that there is a universally human moral sense that makes possible the existence of stable human societies. He divides his moral sense into four parts: sympathy, fairness, self-control, and duty, Wilson thinks that many prevailing doctrines in and around the social sciences deny the existence of such a sense, most notably the cultural relativism propounded by anthropologists and postmodernist philosophers, but also Freudianism, behaviorism, and the egoistic utilitarianism favored by economists. He therefore seeks to ground his moral sense in nature itself, specifically in human biology. The capacity to create and acquire culture itself rests on biological endowments common to the species. Wilson recognizes that many factors, including both other innate dispositions, external circumstances, and even the putatively baneful influence of theories like cultural relativism can override the moral sense in determining individual conduct.
