What began as an evaluation of Haidt's opinion on morality and Burqa regulation in France on website Camels With Hammers, has evolved into a discussion between myself and long-time friend and Camels with Hammers site owner, Dan Fincke, on possible ways to evaluate moral systems. Can impartial logic determine what moral or ethical system is best? Ultimately, is there such a thing as "better" when it comes to traditional moral systems?
Below is an excerpt followed by a link to the full discussion:
I think Tyler and I are quite close in our thinking here. I think that when Tyler defines morality as “the judgment of human character” and its identifies the key criterion by which to judge human character to be “what is human excellence,” he is agreeing more with me and with the traidtions of Aristotle, Nietzsche, and (most recently) Thomas Hurka and not necessarily with Jonathan Haidt.
Here’s why. There is a difference between holding morality to be a good unto itself on the one hand and on the other hand to see it as inherently instrumental to our flourishing and as only partially constitutive of our fundamental ethical good. In other words, you can define morality in such a way that its interests do not necessarily line up with our material success or our excellence in all our powers. For example, one might conceive of morality as Kant does, whereby morality is narrowly defined as being concerned only with our autonomy, rationality, and our ability to have a dutiful will that does the good only because it is the good. For Kant, we act morally as long as we sufficiently realize our rational nature. And realizing our rational nature in actions means only that we act according to principles which we could consistently recommend that every other rational agent follow as well.
Read more with my latest comment
More from The War Of Art
I've finally finished this book and it was good. Here are some previously posted excerpts and a couple new.
1. Steven Pressfield on resistance
2. The artist and the fundamentalist
3. "The professional learns to recognize envy-driven criticism and to take it for what it is: the supreme compliment. The critic hates most that which he would have done himself if he had had the guts.
4. "We humans seem to have been wired by our evolutionary past to function most comfortably in a tribe of twenty to, say, eight hundred. We can push it maybe to a few thousand, even to five figures. But at some point it maxes out. Our brains can't file that many faces. We thrash around, flashing our badges of status (Hey how do you like my Lincoln Navigator?) and wondering why nobody gives a shit."
5. "It's better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot."
- Steven Pressfield (War of Art, 2003)
1. Steven Pressfield on resistance
2. The artist and the fundamentalist
3. "The professional learns to recognize envy-driven criticism and to take it for what it is: the supreme compliment. The critic hates most that which he would have done himself if he had had the guts.
4. "We humans seem to have been wired by our evolutionary past to function most comfortably in a tribe of twenty to, say, eight hundred. We can push it maybe to a few thousand, even to five figures. But at some point it maxes out. Our brains can't file that many faces. We thrash around, flashing our badges of status (Hey how do you like my Lincoln Navigator?) and wondering why nobody gives a shit."
5. "It's better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot."
- Steven Pressfield (War of Art, 2003)
Ghana: digital dumping ground
Investigative journalism involving tech waste.
American and European "recycling" companies are dumping tech waste on others, sometimes under the guise of donation. This causes, in addition to environmental issues, one of security.
After reading this article I'll be saving my hard drives or destroying them myself discarding.
Ghana: digital dumping ground
American and European "recycling" companies are dumping tech waste on others, sometimes under the guise of donation. This causes, in addition to environmental issues, one of security.
After reading this article I'll be saving my hard drives or destroying them myself discarding.
Ghana: digital dumping ground
Burqas galore, in France no more?
1. Philosophy and Nietzsche vs. Haidt relating to the Burqa issue (Check out my brilliant comments at the bottom)
2. Will France Impose a Ban on the Burqa?
3. Al Qaeda threatens France for perceived anti-burqa stance
Corporate art of a different kind
A BMW advertisement in last month's Wired Magazine caught my eye. They had paid an artist to create using one of their cars on a huge canvas. After going to the website and seeing the end result, I was a little disappointed but I like the concept of the car, the big canvas, the paint on the wheels, the spin outs. Particularly when compared to other marketing strategies, this is one I like.
Expressions of Joy (BMW as paint brush)
Expressions of Joy (BMW as paint brush)
Railing against the average: notes from a soul-sucking commute (3)
This is great reading for anyone who has commuted via public transportation or been in a crowd and looked around to wonder at the sanity and humanity of fellow travelers before concluding: we're all screwed. This is the 3rd installment by David A. Brensilver.
The gentleman sitting across the aisle from me represents what I am loathe to become. The cell phone in the holster on his belt, Bluetooth earpiece attached to his head leaving him free to fill out some sort of official-looking pink piece of administrative paperwork, his laptop a convenient table to be deployed for use during his commute. He is plugged in, always connected.
And now, a drink of bottled water, his laptop opened and turned on. He is connected, in touch, communicating with other humans sitting in front of other computer screens, desktops, laptops, BlackBerrys. [more here]
Yann Arthus-Bertrand - Arial photography
Photographer, journalist, reporter and environmentalist.
1. Unofficial photography collection
2. YannArthusBertrand.org
3. Wikipedia Bio
1. Unofficial photography collection
2. YannArthusBertrand.org
3. Wikipedia Bio
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