mwengler comments on Evolutionary psychology as "the truth-killer" - Less Wrong

10 Post author: Benedict 23 July 2012 08:44PM

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Tags: evolutionary_psychology theism truth morality moral_relativism belief

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Comment author: CronoDAS 26 July 2012 06:02:28AM 0 points [-]

I tried slapping someone once as part of an argument over free will vs determinism. I thought I'd make the point that if my slapping them was deterministic than they didn't have much cause to get mad at me for doing it.

Does determinism necessarily imply lack of moral responsibility?

Comment author: mwengler 26 July 2012 02:03:17PM 0 points [-]

If determinism removes agency from my consciousness, then it seems to make as much sense to blame me for things I do as it does to blame a tsunami for the things it does. I did believe at the time that determinism implied the actions I was involved with were as much under my control as were the actions of tsunami.

These days I exist in a state of Bayesian uncertainty on these matters.

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