Morality Just Is

[stevevw]

In the attached video, at time stamp 9:44, the statement is made, "Moral behavior depends not on moral reasoning, but on having the right terminal goals."

To understand what he means by terminal goals, you'll have to watch the video. However, at another point he states a corollary that terminal goals are not found by reasoning. They just are.

My summary would be that he is saying morality is not found by reasoning. It just is.

If you disagree, what is your counter argument? Again, you'll probably have to watch the video to argue against his position ... though I suspect some will argue against it without watching. That'll be fun as well, but for different reasons.

I think there are some self-evident truths that we can justifiably believe like "Life" is intrinsically valuable that we can base morality and reason against. So the foundation of morality is based on something that does not need to be reasoned as its a justified assumption we make about the real world when it comes to morality that is true in of itself and we recognise a duty to uphold "Life" as valuable.

 

[VirOptimus]

I think there are some self-evident truths that we can justifiably believe like "Life" is intrinsically valuable that we can base morality and reason against. So the foundation of morality is based on something that does not need to be reasoned as its a justified assumption we make about the real world when it comes to morality that is true in of itself and we recognise a duty to uphold "Life" as valuable.

If its an assumption then its not supported, its then a belief. Its also not justified, thats just an empty assertion.

And you have never been able to show that "life is intrinsically valuable".

Duty demands an authorithy, this is also something you never been able to support.

 

[Astrid]

If its an assumption then its not supported, its then a belief. Its also not justified, thats just an empty assertion.

And you have never been able to show that "life is intrinsically valuable".

Duty demands an authorithy, this is also something you never been able to support.

The claim of self evidence does not make for an automatic win.

It does tho make an auto- concession that it cant be deminstrated

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Thanks.

I'm aware of the basics of Hume's views, but am by no means intimately acquainted. The video was at first intriguing, the idea tantalizing, but once I realized he was basing his position on Hume my thought was, "Oh, I'm sure someone has a counterargument to this."

Actually, I had 2 thoughts about it. The second was that it's intriguing Hume might have something I agree with and find useful. But if his position crumbles, I suppose not.

It seems you may have that counter argument, so I'd be very interested in learning more about it.

My counter argument to the claim that morality is not found by reason and "just is" is that I know this is not the case because moral principles are conceptual in nature. That's all anyone needs to say in order to refute him. He's making a common error: confusing concepts with the facts they identify. The facts just are, with that I can agree, but not the concepts which identify and integrate these facts. Those are the product of a mental process involving both an object of consciousness and a consciousness capable of the conceptual level of awareness. Man has just such a consciousness and as far as we know he is the only being that does.

 

[J_B_]

My counter argument to the claim that morality is not found by reason and "just is" is that I know this is not the case because moral principles are conceptual in nature. That's all anyone needs to say in order to refute him. He's making a common error: confusing concepts with the facts they identify. The facts just are, with that I can agree, but not the concepts which identify and integrate these facts. Those are the product of a mental process involving both an object of consciousness and a consciousness capable of the conceptual level of awareness. Man has just such a consciousness and as far as we know he is the only being that does.

Intriguing. You may have something there. I'll have to ponder for awhile before I can agree or disagree, but thanks.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Intriguing. You may have something there. I'll have to ponder for awhile before I can agree or disagree, but thanks.

You are welcome. Yes, give it some thought. There is a lot of confusion out there regarding concepts and their relation to facts. When I started to study concepts a lot of stuff started making sense to me.