Are Morals Real?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/books/review/Rorty.t.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=books&adxnnlx=1157047491-VmCiBfTcrmIe2sOG5tWWUA&oref=slogin
A new book says yes. Unfortunately, the review says no. So..ethicists are still relevant? Yay!
posted by Preston @ 11:16:00 AM
4 Comments:
hey, i just saw your comment on scott's blog - i'm glad you like my 'moral code' coloring book. i've been thinking a lot lately about how to define good & evil, and what we're fed to believe what fits into those categoriesl. it's perplexing.
I think the reviewer's main problem with the book is that some of the claims were unsubstantiated. I wonder if we have that book in the store....Even if morals were real (or in the book's definition, innate), we would still need ethicists because of the diversity of the human species. Western culture frowns on homicide, but other cultures allow the "honor killing" of a woman (thus burying her up to her neck and stoning her to death for looking at another male; extreme example, I know). Even in our own society people debate the ethics of certain activites: abortion, the death penalty, etc. If 99% if the population knows that homicide is wrong, there's always that 1% that gets their rocks off by killing people and enjoying it.
Also, people are able to dismiss their morals - a fact that is impossible if morals are truly innate. So ethicists are still in demand.
Melissa-
We do have the book in the store-its actually a promo near the mall, last I knew.
If you are interested in Moral Realism, let me suggest Russ Shaffer-Landau's "Moral Realism: A Defence". We're reading it for my ethical theory class and although I have yet to get to it, I'll have the first chapter (at least) read by Tuesday. Shaffer-Landau is visiting the department in late November, so we've formed a reading group to get through it before he gets here so we can ask half-way intelligent questions. It's an Oxford printing, so it's expensive, but I'd be sort of surprised if the library didn't have it- and if they don't, you could always request it. Apparently Shaffer-Landau is "the guy" in Moral Realism right now. He might be coming through UI. You'll have to check. I know he'll be at the ethical theory conference next weekend in Wisconsin....or is that this weekend?
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