XiXiDu comments on What is Metaethics? - Less Wrong

31 Post author: lukeprog 25 April 2011 04:53PM

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Comment author: XiXiDu 03 May 2011 07:54:16AM *  0 points [-]

I meant that we already do have a field of applied mathematics and science that talks about those things, why do we need moral philosophy?

I am not saying that it is a clear cut issue that we, as computationally bounded agents, should abandon moral language, or that we even would want to do that. I am not advocating to reduce the complexity of natural language. But this community seems to be committed to reductionism, minimizing vagueness and the description of human nature in terms of causal chains. I don't think that moral philosophy fits this community.

This community doesn't talk about theology either, it talks about probability and Occam's razor. Why would it talk about moral philosophy when all of it can be described in terms of cultural anthropology, sociology, evolutionary psychology and game theory?

Comment author: timtyler 03 May 2011 09:49:21AM *  0 points [-]

This community doesn't talk about theology either[...]Why would it talk about moral philosophy when all of it can be described in terms of cultural anthropology, sociology, evolutionary psychology and game theory?

It is a useful umbrella term - rather like "advertising".

Comment author: Peterdjones 03 May 2011 12:11:15PM 0 points [-]

Can all of it be described in those terms? Isn't that a philosophical claim?