Harbal wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 10:03 am
Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 9:12 am
- P1 All mental states are facts
P2 All IMAGINATIONs of ANIMALS are mental states
C1 All IMAGINATIONs of ANIMALS are facts, i.e. UNICORN facts.
It is the neural activities of imagination that is a fact, not things imagined.
The state of imagination can be verified and tested empirically and philosophically.
It is the same with the moral states which must be verified empirically and philosophically to be accepted as moral facts within a moral framework and system.
So are you merely saying that if I think of a unicorn, it is a fact that I am thinking of a unicorn?
That is correct.
Or if I think it is wrong for a human being to kill another human being, it is a fact that I think it is wrong for a human being to kill another human being?
Yes, that is correct BUT the mental state of thinking of whatever is a fact of the thinking faculty but it is not a moral fact of the moral faculty in the brain.
You are conflating out of ignorance. Note the difference in this analogy between
- 1. -the mental state of thinking you are angry -the thinking faculty - a fact of thinking
and
2. -the actual mental state of being angry - the activation emotion - a fact of emotion.
The above two separate mental activities are represented by different set of activities of neurons in different parts/faculties of the the brain.
The fact is there is a
moral faculty in the brain which is represented by a neural algorithm that involved neurons activated from different parts of the brain.
Within this moral faculty there is a major "sub-routine" of '
ought-not to kill another human' IF the "kill" program is activated for some reasons. This is a mental state of being in control of oneself in not killing another human being. This is the moral fact that has a physical referent.
The above active mental state of inhibition in killing another human is the moral fact. Such a mental state of inhibition to kill another human is in your brain, that is why you do not simply go out to kill another human or perhaps even when you are offended by another person.
Thinking about such a state of killing is not a moral fact but a fact of thinking.
For
example if some BLM protestor killed one of your near relative and you have identified the murderer, it is likely you may have thoughts of revenge and driven to kill the murderer, but that thinking is not a moral fact.
If is only when your '
ought-not to kill another human' inhibitors kicked in and you don't go on to kill the murderer that is the issue of the inherent moral fact in your brain.
Get it?