(no subject)

[martasfic]

Reading the philosophy paper of the week from Academia.edu, on Sam Harris's claim that moral principles can be established by science, on the subway this morning. The intro uses the phrase "Spoiler alert." OMG! I can't even.

Seriously, this is from a tenure track Oxford professor. Perhaps the fact he's discussing Harris should have tipped me off of be dealing with this nonsense.

Comments

[blown-wish.livejournal.com]

Speaking as a run of the mill internet atheist: Gag.

This sort of fan girl/boy language needs to stay in Whoville and LJ. That must be infuriating.

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

I happen to be a Christian (more in terms of theology and identity than actual practice these days, haven't been to church since moving to the new place last month), but I definitely have an intellectual respect for the conscientious ones. Quite a few atheists have done great work in moral philosophy and ethics, and even more have just lived moral, good lives. I'm convinced that Aristotle, had he been exposed to Darwin, would have been an atheist and as it is he's the polytheism version of a deist at most, and he had no problem squaring that with an objective morality.

So I've got very little problem with the idea that you don't need God or religion to be a good, moral person. I think in my case having the sense of tradition religion provides is helpful, but I know other people who find that tradition elsewhere and still others who get along without tradition as well. But Harris isn't being fair to philosophy in my book, and he's doing philosophy badly when he does it all. So... yeah. Not my fave thinker. :-)