Comments on: Sam Harris defends his TED Talk http://conversationalatheist.com/2010/03/sam-harris-defends-his-ted-talk/ Atheists need to make more of an effort to be heard in their daily life. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:51:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Keith Brian Johnson http://conversationalatheist.com/2010/03/sam-harris-defends-his-ted-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-3014 Keith Brian Johnson Thu, 06 May 2010 11:31:03 +0000 http://conversationalatheist.com/?p=1261#comment-3014 Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit. <div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('3014','Keith Brian Johnson'); return false;">Reply</a> | <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('3014','Keith Brian Johnson','Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit. '); return false;">Quote</a></div> Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit.
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]]> By: Keith Brian Johnson http://conversationalatheist.com/2010/03/sam-harris-defends-his-ted-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-3013 Keith Brian Johnson Thu, 06 May 2010 11:29:43 +0000 http://conversationalatheist.com/?p=1261#comment-3013 The basing of ethics upon conduciveness to the welfare of sentient beings involves the fundamental value judgment that the welfare of sentient beings matters. Given that value judgment, then there are moral "facts" in an instrumental sense: If one wishes to promote the welfare of sentient beings, then one will do X in circumstance A but not do Y in circumstance B. What Harris does is take for granted that the welfare of sentient entities is what morality is about. The universe does not value sentient entities; the valuing of sentient entities is something we do. Having done so, we can then build up ethics much as Harris envisions. Thus, one can accept that there are no fundamental moral facts and thereby make himself a moral relativist in one sense, as I do, but nevertheless accept, as I also do, that given that we do value the welfare of sentient beings, there are then facts of the matter as to what is more or less conducive to such welfare, making himself something less of a moral relativist than the sort of wishy-washy moral relativist for whom "anything goes." <div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('3013','Keith Brian Johnson'); return false;">Reply</a> | <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('3013','Keith Brian Johnson','The basing of ethics upon conduciveness to the welfare of sentient beings involves the fundamental value judgment that the welfare of sentient beings matters. Given that value judgment, then there are moral "facts" in an instrumental sense: If one wishes to promote the welfare of sentient beings, then one will do X in circumstance A but not do Y in circumstance B. What Harris does is take for granted that the welfare of sentient entities is what morality is about. The universe does not value sentient entities; the valuing of sentient entities is something we do. Having done so, we can then build up ethics much as Harris envisions. Thus, one can accept that there are no fundamental moral facts and thereby make himself a moral relativist in one sense, as I do, but nevertheless accept, as I also do, that given that we do value the welfare of sentient beings, there are then facts of the matter as to what is more or less conducive to such welfare, making himself something less of a moral relativist than the sort of wishy-washy moral relativist for whom "anything goes." '); return false;">Quote</a></div> The basing of ethics upon conduciveness to the welfare of sentient beings involves the fundamental value judgment that the welfare of sentient beings matters. Given that value judgment, then there are moral "facts" in an instrumental sense: If one wishes to promote the welfare of sentient beings, then one will do X in circumstance A but not do Y in circumstance B. What Harris does is take for granted that the welfare of sentient entities is what morality is about. The universe does not value sentient entities; the valuing of sentient entities is something we do. Having done so, we can then build up ethics much as Harris envisions. Thus, one can accept that there are no fundamental moral facts and thereby make himself a moral relativist in one sense, as I do, but nevertheless accept, as I also do, that given that we do value the welfare of sentient beings, there are then facts of the matter as to what is more or less conducive to such welfare, making himself something less of a moral relativist than the sort of wishy-washy moral relativist for whom "anything goes."
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]]> By: Keith Brian Johnson http://conversationalatheist.com/2010/03/sam-harris-defends-his-ted-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-3015 Keith Brian Johnson Thu, 06 May 2010 03:31:03 +0000 http://conversationalatheist.com/?p=1261#comment-3015 Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit. <div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('3015','Keith Brian Johnson'); return false;">Reply</a> | <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('3015','Keith Brian Johnson','Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit. '); return false;">Quote</a></div> Can you permit longer comments? I had to slice that one down to make it fit.
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]]> By: Robert Oerter http://conversationalatheist.com/2010/03/sam-harris-defends-his-ted-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-2779 Robert Oerter Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:59:05 +0000 http://conversationalatheist.com/?p=1261#comment-2779 I just discovered your site (by way of Common Sense Atheism) - nice! My general sense is that Harris is out of his depth with this one - hasn't thought things through very well. I have a couple posts on this at my blog - check them out if you are interested. <a href="http://somewhatabnormal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://somewhatabnormal.blogspot.com/</a> <div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('2779','Robert Oerter'); return false;">Reply</a> | <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('2779','Robert Oerter','I just discovered your site (by way of Common Sense Atheism) - nice! \n \nMy general sense is that Harris is out of his depth with this one - hasn't thought things through very well. I have a couple posts on this at my blog - check them out if you are interested. \n <a href=\"http:\/\/somewhatabnormal.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/somewhatabnormal.blogspot.com\/<\/a> '); return false;">Quote</a></div> I just discovered your site (by way of Common Sense Atheism) - nice!

My general sense is that Harris is out of his depth with this one - hasn't thought things through very well. I have a couple posts on this at my blog - check them out if you are interested.
http://somewhatabnormal.blogspot.com/

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