Does anyone own "The Moral Landscape"?

[vulcanlogician]

Lol, I very much look forward to your thoughts on it!

I'm extremely confused by moral realism as a concept in the first place. As far as I can see, you can only formulate an ethical statement to be a fact once you've picked a framework to evaluate outcomes (as Khem was saying regarding the is/ought problem). Once you've done this, surely the truth of those statements is based on your own framework, and hence only applicable to you? And any person could pick any framework they like.

The second thing that confuses me is how wellbeing is defined. This is such a hugely vague concept that trying to evaluate it, even after deciding on using it as a framework, seems to be impossible if you're coming up with anything nuanced. Of course, we can make very simple statements that I'd be willing to concede as facts for the sake of argument such as, "It's unethical to punch someone for no reason". But all you're really saying is that punching people is bad for their wellbeing.

---

PS: maybe I'm misunderstanding, but moral realism appears to be suggesting there is a "correct" framework to pick. If so, I see this as a circular statement.

I understand what you are saying. For a couple years of my life, I was a moral nihilist. Then, due to Nietzsche's influence on my thought, I thought that ethics was relative. It was really only after reading Plato's Republic that I began to think of things differently.

I tried (and failed) to locate for you an online copy of David Enoch's brief essay "Why I am an Objectivist about Ethics (And You are, Too)." It's a short, light read and it makes its argument convincingly. (I am aware that the Republic is an intolerable slog for most readers.) If you can get your hands on a copy of Enoch's essay, read it.

Another essay that can be found online is James Rachels' "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism"... even if it doesn't make you a moral realist, you will find it highly logical and thought-provoking. It is a seriously enjoyable read for anyone interested in ethics. If anything, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. And it's only 12 pages long. And I'm willing to bet it's better than Harris's writing.

I've been philosophizing all day on the forums, it seems. I'm intellectually exhausted. Let me come back to your post tomorrow and see if I can supply a satisfying response.