tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post116213758933616658..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The Strangeness of OughtAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-1162472294108744792006-11-02T05:58:00.000-07:002006-11-02T05:58:00.000-07:00menscheskindI am afraid that I do not understand y...<B>menscheskind</B><BR/><BR/>I am afraid that I do not understand your point.<BR/><BR/>In fact, I can't tell if you are agreeing with me, or disagreeing with me.<BR/><BR/>I am also arguing that the idea that 'ought' is unrelated to 'is' makes 'ought' such a bizarre concept that we have even more reason to be suspicious of it (if this is true) than of Gods, angels, and ghosts.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-1162171841175899152006-10-29T18:30:00.000-07:002006-10-29T18:30:00.000-07:00George JellissYes, I'm afraid that this is another...<B>George Jelliss</B><BR/><BR/>Yes, I'm afraid that this is another instance of my writing too quickly.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I am aware of atheists who do not share this view - such as the Ayn Rand Objectivists.<BR/><BR/>Plus there are the Michael Ruse style evolutionary ethicists who think of morality as an evolved disposition like sex or hunger.<BR/><BR/>So, you are correct, it is a mistake to claim that all atheists who study this subject fall into this camp.<BR/><BR/>Many do, but not all.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-1162165096348936202006-10-29T16:38:00.000-07:002006-10-29T16:38:00.000-07:00You write: "Today, I am going to use this opportun...You write: "Today, I am going to use this opportunity to take another swipe at the idea that there exists a sharp distinction between ‘is’ and ‘ought’. This is a principle that is taken almost as gospel among atheists who study such issues and among many academic philosophers as well."<BR/><BR/>I've just been reading George H. Smith "Atheism: The Case Against God" which is an atheist "gospel" and he certainly doesn't take that view. Surely it goes back to the early 20th century logical positivists whose ideas are long defunct.<BR/><BR/>Smith writes: "I shal defend the thesis that ethics, while a branch of philosophy, is also a kind of science, specifically, the science of human values."<BR/><BR/>As an Atheist Ethicist you ought to have read him I should have thought!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com