Philosophy
Heard an interview with theologian Bart Ehrman the other day in which he was saying that because Jesus was an apocalypticist who believed that the world as we know it would end in the very near future and the Kingdom of God would arrive on Earth in a time frame such that some of those listening to him speak would be present, that the motivation he provided for ethical action was egoistic. God would be choosing his kickball team very soon and trust me you want to get picked, so you better do it. One who does not believe in the continuing existence of society would not appeal to a social contract or making the world the best possible place for those in it, since the world and hence the society were not long for being. The only real motivator left is selfishness.
But the world and human society as we know it will continue to be. So the question then stands, why be moral? It is one thing to know what you should do, but it is another to do it. On what basis then should we do what we know we should do? Is it to make ourselves the best human we can be? Is it out of duty? Is it to avoid punishment or social derision? Is it to create a better world for everyone? Is it just to make ourselves feel better? Why be moral?
- The Social Contract And Generations To Come
Hopefully by now, everyone has seen this clip of Elizabeth Warren. Phil, a longtime Playground friend, asked me about a claim she makes at the end. She says that "part of the underlying social contract is that you take a hunk of that [earnings] and pay...
- Do You Have To Do Something To Do Something Good?
Whenever I teach ethics, one point in Kant's discussion that always gives rise to an interesting conversation is his claim that for an act to be of moral worth, it cannot serve any positive purpose for the person who does it. Even if it just makes...
- Giving Back: What Is Our Moral Obligation?
Over at Adventures in Science and Ethics, Dr. Free-Ride, back from a science bloggers' conference, asks an interesting question, well, interesting for those in the academic world, "Will tenure and promotion committees -- especially in the sciences...
- A) Explain The Theodicy Of Irenaeus (25).
This essay has been written because I feel that some text books lack a coherent account of what Irenaeus actually said. Please feel free to comment on any aspects of my work. Again, as always, everything written on here has be completed under timed conditions...
- An Explanation Of Kant's Moral Argument
Kant?s moral argument focuses on the notion that God must exist to provide structure to the moral universe. Technically he did not believe that is was possible to prove the existence of God through rational or empirical means. It is important to outline...
Philosophy
Why Be Moral?
Heard an interview with theologian Bart Ehrman the other day in which he was saying that because Jesus was an apocalypticist who believed that the world as we know it would end in the very near future and the Kingdom of God would arrive on Earth in a time frame such that some of those listening to him speak would be present, that the motivation he provided for ethical action was egoistic. God would be choosing his kickball team very soon and trust me you want to get picked, so you better do it. One who does not believe in the continuing existence of society would not appeal to a social contract or making the world the best possible place for those in it, since the world and hence the society were not long for being. The only real motivator left is selfishness.
But the world and human society as we know it will continue to be. So the question then stands, why be moral? It is one thing to know what you should do, but it is another to do it. On what basis then should we do what we know we should do? Is it to make ourselves the best human we can be? Is it out of duty? Is it to avoid punishment or social derision? Is it to create a better world for everyone? Is it just to make ourselves feel better? Why be moral?
- The Social Contract And Generations To Come
Hopefully by now, everyone has seen this clip of Elizabeth Warren. Phil, a longtime Playground friend, asked me about a claim she makes at the end. She says that "part of the underlying social contract is that you take a hunk of that [earnings] and pay...
- Do You Have To Do Something To Do Something Good?
Whenever I teach ethics, one point in Kant's discussion that always gives rise to an interesting conversation is his claim that for an act to be of moral worth, it cannot serve any positive purpose for the person who does it. Even if it just makes...
- Giving Back: What Is Our Moral Obligation?
Over at Adventures in Science and Ethics, Dr. Free-Ride, back from a science bloggers' conference, asks an interesting question, well, interesting for those in the academic world, "Will tenure and promotion committees -- especially in the sciences...
- A) Explain The Theodicy Of Irenaeus (25).
This essay has been written because I feel that some text books lack a coherent account of what Irenaeus actually said. Please feel free to comment on any aspects of my work. Again, as always, everything written on here has be completed under timed conditions...
- An Explanation Of Kant's Moral Argument
Kant?s moral argument focuses on the notion that God must exist to provide structure to the moral universe. Technically he did not believe that is was possible to prove the existence of God through rational or empirical means. It is important to outline...