Missed the option that the distinction isn't worth making? — fdrake
Where's the "other" option? I would say that they definitely have a different meaning, as "is" and "ought" have different meanings. But it's one philosophy, metaphysics, which deals with them both, so they are of the same domain. — Metaphysician Undercover
I think a philosophical method can be applied to both without compromising the is / ought distinction. Both normative considerations (why punish murderers for instance) and scientific considerations (The universe is 13.8 billion years old, (I googled it so it is true...) ) contain presuppositions. It is philosophy's job in my opinion to uncover these presuppositions — Tobias
None of the above. — counterpunch
And btw, imo first-rate OP. — tim wood
That would be one of the middle two options, each of which considers there to be only one domain. But in that case I’m curious how one would characterize that domain, in a way more fundamentally descriptive, or prescriptive, in the senses of those terms used by those who distinguish the two. — Pfhorrest
where people fall in their views on the relationship between these two domains. — Pfhorrest
The facet of my philosophical views that has perhaps gotten the most push-back on these forums is my view on the relationship between the parts of philosophy like metaphysics and epistemology, which I broadly call the descriptive side of philosophy, the side concerned with reality, truth, facts, etc; and the parts of philosophy like ethics and political philosophy, which I broadly call the prescriptive side of philosophy, the side concerned with morality, goodness, norms, etc.
I'm curious if it's just a few vocal people here who disagree so vehemently, rather than the dominant opinion, and also more generally where people fall in their views on the relationship between these two domains. — Pfhorrest
Care to elaborate? — Pfhorrest
Isn't the distinction obviously one of direction of fit? An "is" statement will be felicitous if what is said were modified to match what is the case. An "ought" statement will be felicitous if what is the case is modified to match what was said. — Banno
Isn't the distinction obviously one of direction of fit? An "is" statement will be felicitous if what is said were modified to match what is the case. An "ought" statement will be felicitous if what is the case is modified to match what was said. — Banno
it gets interesting when considered in relation to the Anthropic Principle - which states that in order for intelligent life to exist, the universe must have qualities that allow for the existence of intelligent life. If morality is a behaviourally intelligent response to a causal reality, one could draw the implication that the universe has moral qualities. — counterpunch
Whereas, the moral sense is a consequence of the truth relation between the organism and a causal reality, and a innate part of human understanding. — counterpunch
Consider the fact that human action ranges to the extremes. People can perform extraordinary acts of altruism, including kindness toward other species — or they can utterly fail to be altruistic, even toward their own children. So whatever tendencies we may have inherited leave ample room for variation; our choices will determine which end of the spectrum we approach. This is where ethical discourse comes in — not in explaining how we’re “built,” but in deliberating on our own future acts. Should I cheat on this test? Should I give this stranger a ride? Knowing how my selfish and altruistic feelings evolved doesn’t help me decide at all. Most, though not all, moral codes advise me to cultivate altruism. But since the human race has evolved to be capable of a wide range of both selfish and altruistic behavior, there is no reason to say that altruism is superior to selfishness in any biological sense.
In fact, the very idea of an “ought” is foreign to evolutionary theory. It makes no sense for a biologist to say that some particular animal should be more cooperative, much less to claim that an entire species ought to aim for some degree of altruism. — Richard Polt
...those trapped by erroneous notions of meaning, — Banno
To be fair, "wrong" brings to mind countless specific descriptive indications: examples of actions or behaviours that are indicated, described, denoted, labelled, pointed at, by the word.
Sure, those are cases to be proscribed, and alternatives prescribed. Right and wrong are roughly co-extensive with prescribable and proscribable, respectively. That doesn't stop an ethical choice from being one of correct description: finding appropriate descriptive application (pointing) of the ethical words. — bongo fury
The problem with Darwinism as an ethos, is that there is no inherent purpose other than propagation. Due to the historical situation in which it arose, evolutionary biology has displaced religion as a kind of secular creation story. It is underwritten by the assumption that the origins of life, whilst not known, are likely fortuitous, a consequence of not-yet-understood chemistry. But your implication is intriguing. — Wayfarer
But facts under-determine the possible outcomes. People can see the same facts, and have completely divergent opinions about what they mean — Wayfarer
In fact, the very idea of an “ought” is foreign to evolutionary theory. — Richard Polt
If you're wrong - you're gone. — counterpunch
The anthropic argument is posited as an answer to the question of why the world is so suitable for life. The argument is that there are innumerable ways in which the world might have been but we find ourselves as a matter of fact in a world that is suitable; and points out that we could not have found ourselves in any other sort of world, because any other sort of world would not have produced us... Because we are in a suitable world, it is not just possible but necessary that there must be such suitable worlds. — Banno
Right - but that can only ever amount to either utilitarianism or pragmatism. — Wayfarer
And 'intellectual' is in a different category. — Wayfarer
The intellect can either be adaptive, or maladaptive - if h. sapiens brings about environmental catastrophe that results in billions of deaths, then it's maladaptive. — Wayfarer
to compare intellect with physical faculties is to miss the point - it opens cognitive horizons that are not available to non-rational animals. — Wayfarer
I don't know if Jane Goodall is wrong, or what she would be wrong about. I do vaguely recall she documented some pretty appalling violence in chimp tribes, including infanticide and killing of adults. Don't see how that has any bearing on whether chimps are or are not moral. — Wayfarer
In fact, the very idea of an “ought” is foreign to evolutionary theory. — Richard Polt
I don't know what this means? But, only humans are intellectually intelligent. Animals are behaviourally intelligent. — counterpunch
So what are you saying? Where, in your philosophy - do 'oughts' come from? — counterpunch
'What it means' is that humans can contemplate 'what if....'; they can undertake different courses of action; they can consider the outcome of those courses of action. They can wonder what consequences their actions will have on others. And they can think about the meaning of it all, wonder what it was that brought them into this life, and whether there is any sense in it. And so on. My view is, as soon as h.sapiens becomes, well, sapient, then they're in a different category to non-rational animals, because they then live in a meaning-world, not simply a natural environment. — Wayfarer
I'm trying to point out that evolutionary biology, per se, does not provide any particular grounds or rationale for ethical decision-making. It is a truism that if creatures are not adapted to their environment then they will perish; in that sense they need to be a 'good fit'. But that doesn't provide any basis for ethical decision-making, other than the obvious. We've slotted evolutionary biology into the role formerly occupied by virtue ethics, but it doesn't necessarily do the job. It's not equipped for it, and trying to make it fit results in biological reductionism. — Wayfarer
As to what should drive ethical decision-making - obviously a huge question. Pragmatically, I would agree with a lot of what you say about the urgency of tacking climate change. But then ask yourself this: how can the Western industrial capitalist model, based on an untenable projection of never-ending growth on a finite planet, be reconciled with the likelihood of vast resource shortages and environmental disruption? — Wayfarer
What kind of life philosophy ought we to adopt to deal with these constraints? — Wayfarer
I think we need to learn to cultivate something other than endless consumption and endless growth. — Wayfarer
What kinds of philosophies could that draw on? So that's one element. — Wayfarer
Accept that science is true — counterpunch
There are identifiable regularities, and considerable agreement among people that a joke is funny, or a painting is pleasing. But humour and aesthetics are a sense - and so is morality. I explained this above. — counterpunch
Mine — counterpunch
Meaning what, exactly? There is no single authoritative source or oracle by the name of 'science'. Science is multi-faceted, always evolving. I think what you're advocating is actually scientism, which is the view that science is authoritative in ways it cannot be. — Wayfarer
Here's the nub of the issue. But it both subjectivises, and trivialises, morality - it reduces them to an individual matter - essentially a matter of opinion. And this is precisely the issue that the OP is dealing with. — Wayfarer
I haven't discerned one. — Wayfarer
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