Re: What could make morality objective?
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2024 7:32 pm
For the discussion of all things philosophical.
https://canzookia.com/
Because that is what being objective means in philosophy. If it's true that the earth is an oblate spheroid, even if everyone believes it's flat or no-one is thinking about it at all, then it is an objective truth that the earth is an oblate spheroid. And if slavery is wrong, even if everyone thinks it's right or no-one ever thinks about slavery, then slavery is objectively wrong.
Does it continue to mean that if nobody is philosophising, thinking; or has an opinion about it?
What's an "oblate spheroid" without a humans to construct/invent such an abstraction?
If everyone uses the word "flat" to refer to the shape of the Earth then that's what the word "flat" would mean.
If nobody ever thinks of; or recognizes any event as slavery - then what's slavery?
See above.
One can, as is evidenced by the fact that Peter Holmes does.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 am My claim is;
whatever is fact, one cannot claim it is absolutely independent of the human conditions [human mind] which is the ideology of philosophical realism.
Philosophical realism is not to blame for evil religions. The blame lies with the moral tenets of the religions, not with their ontological tenets. Philosophical realism, like all ontological theories, is morally neutral.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amThe fact is the claim of philosophical realism has generated loads of philosophical dilemmas and problems throughout human history, and even to the extent of the genocide of humans [via evil religions grounded on philosophical realism]
'Somehow?' If you are trying to sell us a theory, you are going to have to do better than that. In exactly what way is fact 'part and parcel in interaction with the human conditions'?Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amDue to the above unresolvable dilemmas, it would be more realistic and practical to claim [Kant's Copernican Revolution], i.e.
"what is fact" [reality, truth, knowledge, objectivity] is somehow part and parcel in interaction with the human conditions as contingent upon a human-based framework and system[FS], of which the scientific FS is the exemplar.
'Somehow' again. Stop being vague. How is reality related to the human conditions?Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amSince reality is somehow related to the human conditions, this leave room and possibility for reality of evil to be managed [fool proof] toward the good via the variation of the human conditions.
It isn't the job of mind independence to 'contribute effective [sic] to the good of humanity'. If we are 'eternally at the mercy of an independent reality', then that is just the way things are. It's no good inventing a theory that would make it otherwise and then trying to make the world fit your theory; that's not how things work. Your philosophy appears to be the result of wishful thinking.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amPhilosophical realism's mind independence cannot contribute effective to the good of humanity and reality because whatever is real is absolutely independent of them and thus outside the ambit of their control, thus they are eternally at the mercy of an independent reality.
It means that when we use it. When we aren't using it, there is no word there to mean anything.
Exactly the same as it is with humans, but not identified as such by anyone.
No, it would still mean 'flat', because the earth would not be the only thing that was flat.
Same as the oblate spheroid; exactly as it is now, but not identified as such by anyone.
'As good as objective'? What's that when it's at home?Skepdick wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:37 pmSee above.
None of your reasoning functions to the ends you intend it to function.
Unless you presuppose objective meaning.
This is the whole confusion of Western philosophy. You question the objectivity of moral norms, yet you grant yourself linguistic norms which are as good as objective.
Que?
That's an error of misplaced agency. Meaning is a verb. Words don't mean - they have no agency. Humans mean.
How do humans identify oblate spheroids if nobody knows what that means? Go ahead and identify a grobmunf.
Obviously. Anything shaped similarly to Earth would be "flat".
Ok... I think it's time you identified me a grobmunf.
Throughout your life you have failed to grasp that language is teleological; and "thing" is an abstraction you are projecting onto the world.
Based on what you have posted, you believe in philosophical realism as well.CIN wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:56 pmOne can, as is evidenced by the fact that Peter Holmes does.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 am My claim is;
whatever is fact, one cannot claim it is absolutely independent of the human conditions [human mind] which is the ideology of philosophical realism.
The ultimate philosophical ground of theism is philosophical realism, i.e.Philosophical realism is not to blame for evil religions. The blame lies with the moral tenets of the religions, not with their ontological tenets. Philosophical realism, like all ontological theories, is morally neutral.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amThe fact is the claim of philosophical realism has generated loads of philosophical dilemmas and problems throughout human history, and even to the extent of the genocide of humans [via evil religions grounded on philosophical realism]
Evidently,'Somehow?' If you are trying to sell us a theory, you are going to have to do better than that. In exactly what way is fact 'part and parcel in interaction with the human conditions'?Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amDue to the above unresolvable dilemmas, it would be more realistic and practical to claim [Kant's Copernican Revolution], i.e.
"what is fact" [reality, truth, knowledge, objectivity] is somehow part and parcel in interaction with the human conditions as contingent upon a human-based framework and system[FS], of which the scientific FS is the exemplar.
see above.'Somehow' again. Stop being vague. How is reality related to the human conditions?Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amSince reality is somehow related to the human conditions, this leave room and possibility for reality of evil to be managed [fool proof] toward the good via the variation of the human conditions.
As stated before,It isn't the job of mind independence to 'contribute effective [sic] to the good of humanity'. If we are 'eternally at the mercy of an independent reality', then that is just the way things are. It's no good inventing a theory that would make it otherwise and then trying to make the world fit your theory; that's not how things work. Your philosophy appears to be the result of wishful thinking.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 6:14 amPhilosophical realism's mind independence cannot contribute effective to the good of humanity and reality because whatever is real is absolutely independent of them and thus outside the ambit of their control, thus they are eternally at the mercy of an independent reality.
Meaning if a morality system permit genocide, normative moral relativism has to accept tolerate it.*Normative moral relativism holds that because nobody is right or wrong, everyone ought to tolerate the behavior of others even when large disagreements about morality exist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_relativism
I agree with that AI's definition.CIN wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:24 pm Amusingly, Google AI offers the following definition of 'objective':
"Something is objective if it can be confirmed independently of a mind."
VA would probably like that definition, because it would entail that nothing is objective; we cannot confirm anything without using our minds.
So, is the agreement, previously made, that the murdering of those completely innocent children, previously, was wrong, 'objective', or not?
Here is another one who believes, absolutely, that 'its own definition' is the one and only one.
But, how, exactly, is 'it' is 'known' to be what it is 'claimed' to be, if absolutely everyone thinks or believes otherwise, or if absolutely no one is even thinking about it?
It is this kind of definition for the 'objective' word, and/or 'this way' of 'looking at' and/or 'seeing' the 'objective' word, WHY these human beings were, still, disagreeing, bickering, and fighting and arguing, with each other, here.
LOLCIN wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:24 pm I'm sure you know this, Skep, you can look up the philosophical definition of 'objective' as well as anyone else. I suspect you have some devious ulterior reason for your question. I wait with scarcely controllable eagerness to find out what it is.
Amusingly, Google AI offers the following definition of 'objective':
"Something is objective if it can be confirmed independently of a mind."
LOL
There are no 'scientific facts' that are 'objective', whereas 'other facts' are 'not objective'.Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2024 2:39 amI agree with that AI's definition.CIN wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:24 pm Amusingly, Google AI offers the following definition of 'objective':
"Something is objective if it can be confirmed independently of a mind."
VA would probably like that definition, because it would entail that nothing is objective; we cannot confirm anything without using our minds.
You should ask AI to elaborate and give examples before condemning it.
"independently of a mind"
means something like scientific facts are objective because it relies on a collective-of-minds [subjects] i.e. the scientific framework and system [FS] and is thus confirmed independently of a* mind, e.g. one scientist's view or non-scientists view.
The scientific FS is the gold standard of credibility and objectivity of reality [as it is and knowledge of it].
So, once again, to "veritas aequitas" when people believed that the earth was in the center of the Universe, then this is 'objective', and thus 'objectively true' as well. Which is, obviously, absolutely False, Wrong, Inaccurate, and Incorrect.CIN wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:24 pm So in that case, theological claims are objective because there is consensus within a theological framework - collective-of-theists???
Yes, by definition, theology claims based on a theological FS [not one person] are facts which are objective.
BUT .. it's degree of objectivity is 0.1 in contrast to the scientific FS as the gold standard if indexed at 100.
This is where the continuum basis is more effective in dealing with elements within reality as all-there-is.
All other claims of facts as objective can be rated against the scientific FS as the gold standard.
How to rate and ensure the rating itself is objective?
I have done that over many threads in this section.
* "a mind" would include a loose mob of minds.
What is objective is based on an organized collective-of-mind with a constitution [implied or otherwise] and shared-values.
I tend to think the whole question is sort of nonsense even when capable philosophers discuss it in the relevant context.CIN wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 10:42 pmThank you, Flash. You have hit the nail on the head. In ethics, we have to take the real existence of other people as axiomatic, or there will be no subject matter to discuss. And if other people, why not animals, and the rest of the physical world?FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2024 12:12 pmOne version of the point is probably that realism and antirealism just aren't important positions. That we don't need an explanation of why the world presents itself to us as it does in order to reason within the world that has represented itself. And surely most importantly, that there is no possible reason to need to discuss whether the world is really really entirely truly real in order to discuss ethics.
All of these metaphysical speculations are irrelevant to the study of ethics, and they shouldn't be in this part of the forum at all. I think they were introduced here by VA, and others have been unwise enough to indulge him by answering him here.
I think there is a real question there, but I think it is futile to address it. I can't prove that the world around me is real, but I don't see any evidence that it isn't, so I no longer bother to think about it. I suppose if science showed us that reality literally makes no sense, that would be a different matter, but I think all science has done is show that the world is surprising, which isn't the same thing.FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2024 2:23 pmI tend to think the whole question is sort of nonsense even when capable philosophers discuss it in the relevant context.CIN wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 10:42 pmThank you, Flash. You have hit the nail on the head. In ethics, we have to take the real existence of other people as axiomatic, or there will be no subject matter to discuss. And if other people, why not animals, and the rest of the physical world?FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2024 12:12 pm
One version of the point is probably that realism and antirealism just aren't important positions. That we don't need an explanation of why the world presents itself to us as it does in order to reason within the world that has represented itself. And surely most importantly, that there is no possible reason to need to discuss whether the world is really really entirely truly real in order to discuss ethics.
All of these metaphysical speculations are irrelevant to the study of ethics, and they shouldn't be in this part of the forum at all. I think they were introduced here by VA, and others have been unwise enough to indulge him by answering him here.
Copy that. The trouble, though, is that views we strongly disagree with are catnip to people like us. I prefer not to talk to people like VA, but in a forum where there is no minimum standard of philosophical competence, who else are you going to talk to?FlashDangerpants wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2024 2:23 pm You won't get VA off this track though because he has committed everything to his notion that if we can reduce objectivity to nothing more than consensus, then anything that gains consensus is objective, and that anything thus rendered objective must be fact. Everything else must, and always will, fall down that hole, himself included.
It might count as doing him a favour to require a ceasefire on all the generalised antirealism in the ethics forum and simply permit moral realism and antirealism within it. I would recommend that everyone give that a go. But he has himself entirely convinced that all philosophy reduces without loss to nothing but a discussion of realism and antirealism, and I don't think he has the ability to internalise anybody else's perspectives, so I predict zero success.
You do not realize you are the ignorant and incompetent one.