RE: Developing systems of morality, outside of religious influence.
March 8, 2018 at 11:00 am
(This post was last modified: March 8, 2018 at 11:06 am by FatAndFaithless.)
I lean pretty close to Sam Harris' idea of morality being concerned with human well-being - actions and policies that promote well-being are good, and those that hinder it are bad. Well-being is hard to describe, but we can still make (pretty much) objective judgments when comparing two different things. Physical health is also very hard to define, but there is an objective difference between eating an apple and drinking battery acid when it comes to its effect on your physical health. Moral systems are subjective - that's just a fact of the world - we see innumerable moral systems across time, cultures, and individuals. But that doesn't mean each system is equally valid or helpful or good. The problem is there's nothing to point to as the "true" good, because we have no way of assessing morality outside of human perception. And if someone from another moral system simply doesn't value the same things as you, just claiming 'you're wrong, I'm right, look at my book' isn't going to change their mind.
If a moral system doesn't place human well-being at its center (for example, if it claims the most important thing to do in life is follow God's rules), then I really don't think it has any use. It might get some things right, but its foundation is misplaced, in my opinion.
If a moral system doesn't place human well-being at its center (for example, if it claims the most important thing to do in life is follow God's rules), then I really don't think it has any use. It might get some things right, but its foundation is misplaced, in my opinion.
In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson