Can science determine moral values?
Sam Harris certainly thinks it can. In this TED talk Harris speaks about the relationship between science and morality. Up until now many have claimed that science can explain the natural world but only religion can account for human morality. As it was most famously put by Galileo, the bible tells us “how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.” Throughout history both people of faith and lack there of have diminished the relationship between science and morality. Same Harris believes this to be a mistake and wants to put an end to this type of thinking. Harris believes that without the realization that science has a say in human values we are, at best, diminishing our advancement as a species.
What is the relationship between science and morality?
Any concept of human well-being you could plausibly have that Taliban Patently fails to maximize it.
As Harris puts it, first we need to recognize that moral values directly correlates to maximizing human well-being. He states “If our well-being depends upon the interaction between events in our brains and events in the world, and there are better and worse ways to secure it, then some cultures will tend to produce lives that are more worth living than others; some political persuasions will be more enlightened than others, and some world views will be mistaken in ways that cause needless human misery.” He goes on to say, with perfect delivery, “Any concept of human well-being you could plausibly have that Taliban Patently fails to maximize it.”
Does science have a voice on moral values?
The science and morality relationship concept is still a sticky one for most. However, I tend to agree with Sam Harris. There is no doubt he has delivered an argument worth a second, if not third, thought. What do you think about the topic? Can science determine human moral values?
[gard]
Comments are closed.