Where are the Morals?

[Whateverist]

Personally I'm not looking to define a code or law for myself. We already have the law of the land for guidance. Why should I look for yet another barrier to my ability to act spontaneously and with empathy in the world?

I'll leave that to the OCD driven among us like yourself, Harris. Personally, I've managed to win my trust. I don't need a set of operation instructions for getting through my day. I always thought that was sort of the point of being alive.

I am with Genkaus.

“The law of the land governs only our public life and that to a limited extent. It is not sufficient as a guide for the whole life.”

I think we envision and value the spontaneously lived life very differently. As someone who regularly gives free reign to living in animal mode, I can tell you that what you would call moral considerations are accounted for quite adequately without any ponderous attempts at systematizing oughts and nots. When you are not removed from the immediacy of living by focussing on how the features of the moment sort into the categories of your moral system, you actually notice a good deal more.

Among the things you might notice when you are focussed on the world instead of the categories in your head, are other people. Mirror neurons* allow you not only to infer peoples intentions but also the emotional basis of their motivation. Not flawlessly of course, but we are wired this way. So just focussing on the world as it comes to meet you will naturally lead to empathy. Then, assuming we have been adequately socialized, our pro-social disposition will lead us to take appropriate actions.

Moral living need not involve obsessive amounts of abstract deduction away from the world. In fact, I'd trust someone who is more tuned into their surroundings and what other people are feeling to do the right thing than I would someone who lives most of their lives in their head planning for what they'll do when they actually go out into the world. Ted Kaczinski was a man who spent enormous mental energy thinking about what was right and wrong with the world, but I want no part of his moral decisions.

*[quote wiki]

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A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.[1][2][3] Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate species.[4] Birds have been shown to have imitative resonance behaviors and neurological evidence suggests the presence of some form of mirroring system.[4][5] In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.[6]

The function of the mirror system is a subject of much speculation. Many researchers in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology consider that this system provides the physiological mechanism for the perception/action coupling (see the common coding theory).[3] They argue that mirror neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. Some researchers also speculate that mirror systems may simulate observed actions, and thus contribute to theory of mind skills,[7][8] while others relate mirror neurons to language abilities.[9] Neuroscientists such as Marco Iacoboni (UCLA) have argued that mirror neuron systems in the human brain help us understand the actions and intentions of other people. In a study published in March 2005 Iacoboni and his colleagues reported that mirror neurons could discern if another person who was picking up a cup of tea planned to drink from it or clear it from the table.[10] In addition, Iacoboni has argued that mirror neurons are the neural basis of the human capacity for emotions such as empathy.

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