[MD] A Science of Morals

[Matt Kundert]

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
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