Maximus

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. -Romans 6:18 I'm not Christian anymore, but I think that Paul was on to somet...

The desires are there. Each give some level of satisfaction when fulfilled. It's up to us which to fulfill because they often come in conflict.

Those living under such a law in some sort of separate community would not likely want to keep to themselves.

It's just a little bit deeper than your thinking I think. And I don't mean that arrogantly. I I just think if we are being honest we don't chose eithe...

We are sort of circling at this point, but I feel it would be disingenuous of someone with your view to use language like wrong, and evil.

I'm trying to imagine a rally from someone with your view to end slavery. Guys I don't feel good about the slaves. Do you feel good about the slaves? ...

I noticed I wasn't as far from your thought process as I thought when putting that up. I I think there is one difference. I think they believe the ide...

Okay I follow that. I seem to remember him having someone on the podcast with him saying that we can agree on that, but once we move away from the wor...

Well using feeling as justification seems shaky at best to me. I don't think America for instance used feeling to get where we are. I think Americans ...

Am I right to think that Sam Harris is basically saying what is more moral is whatever leads to more happiness in a group sense and so we are left to ...

I don't know I will have to contemplate more. On the one hand it seems like you are saying throw out justification and on the other hand it seems you ...

I would say for sure that denying moral progress hampers moral progress

So lets say you are a part of a culture that shares your preferred values. Are there any grounds for being critical of another culture that are strong...

Your making me clarify what I think you already know I mean, but maybe not. Equally valid is poor phrasing once again. The concept of validity make no...

I think to say there is no moral truth is to say that all stances are equally valid which is why I oppose your view. Perhaps you could explain why tha...

Yes I do and the answer is valid to a moral truth. Just as scientific theories can be more or less valid to the truth. In both situations you assume t...

Validity needs to be based on an assumption. There is no way around that. Our observations about the physical world work on the assumption that our pe...

But if we assume that there is truth about morality as there is truth about our physical universe then we can use the same ideas we use to evaluate ou...

This is to some degree my point. It seems we have to rely on our intuition to make value judgments yet we also assume that value judgments are purely ...

Your right "I can't" wasn't the right way to say it. More that I wouldn't presume to. Its devaluing to the point were my feeling about rape being wron...

I suppose your right, however it seems like comparing our "taste" in morals to our taste in ice cream is still dangerous. I can't make laws about what...

Well i guess there are two things going on. One do they exist, and two how would they be defined if they do exist. I would say there are dangers that ...

This isn't going to be a very clear response, but I I'm just brainstorming here. I think it's interesting that our American values today are actually ...

In some respects I think your articulating some thoughts about Sam Harris' work that I haven't been able to get out in words. Sam will talk about the ...

I'm going to have to give this response another read when I'm off work. I I just started my evening shift. It seems like we have some common ground th...

Saying that intentions are not a practical thing to try and judge someone by is correct. However using that fact to prove that it is not the basis of ...

We seem to be agreeing somewhat, but having a problem with the words we are using. If you like lets say there is: Bad - Immoral And then there is unfo...

Its bad in that it caused suffering. Suppose someone is stabbed with a knife still stuck in them and another person trying to save him removes the kni...

"Also, in my view, no intentions sans actions are morally problematic." In my opinion ill will for someone, caused by jealousy lets say is morally bad...

So intending to kill is morally bad. Intending to kill and also committing the act is morally bad. Not intending to kill and killing is bad and subjec...

I should probably clarify that I think the law should prevent bad in terms of outcomes. We don't want thought police, so we don't want someone to be p...

This is a crucial point of disagreement. I think its a language problem more than anything. Killing someone with out the intention is bad, no doubt. B...

I can't disagree with what you have written there. That is the purpose of law and order. To keep us free to act on desires, except when it violates an...

That is definitely the logical next question and to be honest with you I will have to do some more thinking on this. I feel like it may have something...