Broom, Donald M.

Donald M. Broom (1942-) is a British biologist and ethologist who served as Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Cambridge from 1986 to 2009. While primarily known for pioneering the scientific study of animal welfare, Broom has made significant contributions to understanding the biological and evolutionary foundations of morality and religion. In "The Evolution of Morality and Religion" (2003), he argues that moral systems and religious beliefs emerged through natural selection as adaptive mechanisms that enhanced cooperation and group cohesion in early human societies. Broom's interdisciplinary approach bridges evolutionary biology, ethology, and philosophy of religion, proposing that both moral sentiments and religious inclinations have deep biological roots. His work challenges purely theological or philosophical accounts of morality and religion by grounding these phenomena in evolutionary processes, while maintaining that this naturalistic explanation does not necessarily negate their significance or validity in human experience.