Jump to content
Science Forums

Science of Morality, Anyone?


coberst

Recommended Posts

Science of Morality, Anyone?

 

I suggest that a "Moral Science" section be added to this board in the hope that this board may become a catalyst in an effort to correct this serious lack of empirical scientific study of this vast and important domain of knowledge.

 

Where, in American culture, is the domain of knowledge that we would identify as morality studied and taught?

 

I suspect that if we do not quickly develop a science of morality that will make it possible for us to live together on this planet in a more harmonious manner our technology will help us to destroy the species and perhaps the planet soon.

 

It seems to me that we have given the subject matter of morality primarily over to religion. It also seems to me that if we ask the question ‘why do humans treat one another so terribly?’ we will find the answer in this moral aspect of human culture.

 

The ‘man of maxims’ “is the popular representative of the minds that are guided in their moral judgment solely by general rules, thinking that these will lead them to justice by a ready-made patent method, without the trouble of exerting patience, discrimination, impartiality—without any care to assure themselves whether they have the insight that comes from a hardly-earned estimate of temptation, or from a life vivid and intense enough to have created a wide fellow-feeling with all that is human.” George Eliot The Mill on the Floss

 

I agree to the point of saying that we have moral instincts, i.e. we have moral emotions. Without these moral emotions we could not function as social creatures. These moral emotions are an act of evolution. I would ague that the instinct for grooming that we see in monkeys is one example of this moral emotion.

 

We can no longer leave this important matter in the hands of the Sunday-school. Morality must become a top priority for scientific study.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know the definitive answer to "Where, in American culture, is the domain of knowledge that we would identify as morality studied and taught?" but IMHO it is all over the place - schools, organizations, religious groups. Whenever I visit your country I seem to find morality watchers all over the place. :)

 

Discussions on morality does not constitute a "science" as such but belong either in ethics discussions as related to the various sciences, or as related to social science, politics and humanities. I don't think it warrants a separate forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...