[MD] A Science of Morals

[X Acto]

Hi guys,
Sam Harris seems to be petitioning for science to make
moral decisions...not sure if thats what Pirsig is forwarding..
a scientific understanding of morals perhaps. But is'nt science
already a moral appeal? is'nt the pursuit of truth the most moral
of endeavors?



----- Original Message ----
From: Steven Peterson <peterson.steve at gmail.com>
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
Sent: Thu, April 1, 2010 11:59:53 AM
Subject: Re: [MD] A Science of Morals

Hi Matt, Ian,

I am surprised that there is not more interest in Harris's endeavor
toward a science of morals on this forum. I once thought that Pirsig's
MOQ may provoke an intellectual conversation about morals in the US,
but after about 20 years it seems less and less likely that the MOQ
will gain much traction in mainstream thought. I have much more hope
for Harris's upcoming book to start the conversation that we have so
sorely needed to have.

Best,
Steve




On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 7:32 AM, Ian Glendinning
<ian.glendinning at gmail.com> wrote:
> Very interesting .... missed that one, and the resulting
> correspondence too. Thanks Steve.
> Regards
> Ian
>
> On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 2:47 AM, Matt Kundert
> <pirsigaffliction at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> What's interesting about Sam Harris is that--more than
>> anybody else in recent memory that I can think of--he's
>> somehow bridged the still-growing gap in America between
>> academic-intellectual conversation circles and
>> popular-intellectual conversation circles.  There's been a
>> number of books over the years about the decline of the
>> "public intellectual" in America over the years, and I take
>> them to be on the whole right, and Rorty is often held up
>> as the last academic philosopher to take on the role of
>> public intellectual, but the fact of the matter is that
>> nobody read Rorty outside of academic circles.  If you
>> didn't work at a University, the chances of you having
>> read Rorty was slim to none.  But he was the best example
>> people could come up with.  That's how bad it has gotten.
>>
>> This current resurgence of the formerly nascent, and never
>> finished, "battle" between science and religion has thrust a
>> number of people into the spotlight.  It will be interesting to
>> see whether we can get some traction for other
>> academic-intellectuals to make the cross into popular
>> discussions of issues, and re-establish a _tradition_ in this
>> country (which is, on the other hand, wishful thinking as
>> long as primary education is funded by zipcode and the
>> news remains a slice of the entertainment divisions of media
>> conglomerates).
>>
>> Matt
>>
>>> Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:24:02 -0400
>>> From: peterson.steve at gmail.com
>>> To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
>>> Subject: [MD]  A Science of Morals
>>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> Recently, Sam Harris gave a TED talk.  He has a book coming out called
>>> "The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values."
>>>
>>> I hope you check it out:
>>>
>>> http://www.project-reason.org/newsfeed/item/moral_confusion_in_the_name_of_science3/
>>>
>>> Regardless of what he will be able to do with a science of morals, I
>>> think he will start an important conversation about ethics.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Steve
>>> Moq_Discuss mailing list
>>> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
>>> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
>>> Archives:
>>> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
>>> http://moq.org/md/archives.html
>>
>> _________________________________________________________________
>> The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.
>> http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID27925::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:032010_3
>> Moq_Discuss mailing list
>> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
>> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
>> Archives:
>> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
>> http://moq.org/md/archives.html
>>
> Moq_Discuss mailing list
> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
> Archives:
> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
> http://moq.org/md/archives.html
>
Moq_Discuss mailing list
Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
Archives:
http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
http://moq.org/md/archives.html