tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post8070431328791159749..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: Reasons, Motives, and Doing the Right ThingAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-58232203271408840812016-08-26T08:08:58.507-06:002016-08-26T08:08:58.507-06:00Yes, it is an empirical question.
No, it is not a...Yes, it is an empirical question.<br /><br />No, it is not answered by asking people what they mean. It is answered by examine its role in a language.<br /><br />For example, if "moral" literally meant "having intrinsic value", then "moral relativism" would be a contradiction in terms -like "married bachelor." But it is not a contradiction. Thus, it is not the case that "moral" means "having intrinsic value."<br /><br />Similarly, if "moral" means "having intrinsic value" then Hume's "Enquiry into the principles of morals" misused the term "morals" throughout. However, in 250 years of philosophical scholarly work on Hume, nobody noticed this. Either that, or "moral" does not mean "having intrinsic value." The latter seems the most plausible.<br /><br />Either way, this is how to answer questions about what terms mean.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-42912003670594121332016-08-25T17:34:43.711-06:002016-08-25T17:34:43.711-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shaunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09466738560345213952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-88870351842246389972016-08-25T17:34:34.224-06:002016-08-25T17:34:34.224-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shaunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09466738560345213952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-14720177160988057972016-08-25T17:33:07.247-06:002016-08-25T17:33:07.247-06:00Well this is an empirical question that can be sol...Well this is an empirical question that can be solved by asking people what they mean by morality. Also how do I contact you, I can't seem to find your email anywhere.Shaunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09466738560345213952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-64277271523442389262016-08-25T16:19:40.941-06:002016-08-25T16:19:40.941-06:00Of course, I am going to deny that when people tal...Of course, I am going to deny that when people talk about morality they are actually talking about that which has intrinsic prescriptivity.<br /><br />When people talk about morality they are talking about what people generally have reason to reward/praise or punish/condemn. They make a mistake in thinking that the reasons to reward or punish comes from the intrinsic prescriptivity of that which is being rewarded or punished. However, they cannot give even a hint of a reason as to how intrinsic prescriptivity can generate a reason to reward or punish. In fact, the reasons to reward or punish - like all reasons for action - come from desires. However, this mistake as to the source of the reasons to reward or punish is a mistake that we can eliminate. And the reasons that actually do exist to reward or punish continue to exist, even in the absence of intrinsic value.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-66938538335425227442016-08-25T12:29:26.860-06:002016-08-25T12:29:26.860-06:00I think this is one of the problems with desirism....I think this is one of the problems with desirism. When people refer to morality, they are referring to something that has intrinsic prescriptivity. I agree with you that intrinsic prescriptivity does not exist. However this means that when most people talk about morality they are referring to something that does not exist. Therefore I don't think desirism accurately captures what most people mean by morality.Shaunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09466738560345213952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-10969310921961248362016-08-25T12:25:19.845-06:002016-08-25T12:25:19.845-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shaunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09466738560345213952noreply@blogger.com