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DanArmak comments on Discussion of Slate Star Codex: "Extremism in Thought Experiments is No Vice" - Less Wrong Discussion
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In this system, do morals have a separate status from other divine commandments and laws? What is the definition of the category "morals", if the only way to discover them is to study divine revelation, and not by introspection?
In the same way the laws of physics have a separate status from divine commandments like "Though shall not stick a fork into an active electric outlet".
What God likes or doesn't like. Alternatively, what gets you closer to heaven or to hell.
Moral realism doesn't care about introspection.
That sounds to me like there isn't a difference between morals and other commandments. If sticking a fork into a socket is a divine commandment, then following it is liked by God (God likes people to follow commandments), and it brings you closer to Heaven (God lets people into Heaven if they follow commandments).
If the fork-and-socket commandment didn't bring you closer to heaven or hell, then it wouldn't be a commandment, because breaking it wouldn't be a sin.
Morals are the underlying unreachable (for mortals) perfection. Commandments are heuristics for getting closer.
If morality is like physics, commandments are like engineering
And don't think contemporary engineering with calculators, simulations, etc. Think medieval engineering, like building cathedrals -- you don't necessarily understand why things work this way, but you know that the three people before you who tried to do it another way had their walls collapse.
That does make sense. Thank you for the explanation.