A New Offense
Sam Harris is coming out with a new book where, from what I gather he tries to discern how humans derive their morals and ethics. And, if there is something intrinsically constant within that scope of humanity and how we could then maximize our happiness as a whole.
Critics, Andrew Sullivan being the latest, argue that this is a utilitarian thought experiment and it's been tried, and you just can't do it. Sullivan calls it a categorical error, while others choose the much more snooty sounding, "Deriving ought from is."
This is all well and good, and Harris has written rebuttals to most of these critiques.
But the thing I love about the critiques of these against Harris is to the point of how offended people seem by his efforts. I'm fairly certain that in this context, it's only a matter of time before they start equating his philosophizing and thought experiments with Hitler. "He's a white male with dark hair; that's sooooo Hitler of him."
Critics, Andrew Sullivan being the latest, argue that this is a utilitarian thought experiment and it's been tried, and you just can't do it. Sullivan calls it a categorical error, while others choose the much more snooty sounding, "Deriving ought from is."
This is all well and good, and Harris has written rebuttals to most of these critiques.
But the thing I love about the critiques of these against Harris is to the point of how offended people seem by his efforts. I'm fairly certain that in this context, it's only a matter of time before they start equating his philosophizing and thought experiments with Hitler. "He's a white male with dark hair; that's sooooo Hitler of him."
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