The Moral Landscape

01Science can help us understand values, even though it's not usually linked to morality

Many folks hold the belief that science and morality are like oil and water - they just don't mix. They argue that science is all about hard facts and empirical evidence, while morality is a subjective realm, dealing with personal values and principles. Science is seen as something you can measure and quantify, while morality is more about feelings and personal beliefs. So, the argument goes, science can't really give us any answers when it comes to moral questions. But Sam Harris begs to differ. He believes that our values, the things we hold as right or wrong, aren't floating in some separate realm. Instead, they're deeply rooted in our biology and psychology - two areas that science knows a thing or two about. Think about it this way: our moral decisions are often influenced by our emotions, right? And our emotions are tied to our brain chemistry. If something changes in our brain - say, because of a disease or a drug - our emotions can change, and so can our moral decisions. This shows that our moral decisions aren't separate from the natural world - they're deeply connected to it. Harris also points out that our understanding of the world influences our moral decisions. If we think an action will hurt others, we're likely to see it as morally wrong. This decision is based on our understanding of cause and effect - a concept that science is pretty familiar with. So, according to Harris, science can give us some pretty valuable insights into our moral decisions. By studying our biology and psychology, and by helping us understand the world better, science can help us understand why we make certain moral decisions and how we can make better ones. But that's not all. Harris also believes that science can help us evaluate different ways of life. By studying how different social practices affect our well-being, science can help us figure out which practices are more likely to lead to a happy, fulfilling life. This is a moral decision, but it's one that's based on hard evidence. So, in a nutshell, Harris's main argument is that science can give us valuable insights into morality and values. Our moral decisions are deeply connected to our biology and psychology, and they're influenced by our understanding of the world - all areas that science can help us understand. By studying these areas, science can help us understand and improve our moral decisions.