I'm curious what you make of this conversation. It began with Sam's argument that moral values can be derived from science and reason... and then morphed into an intense discussion about how to communicate across religious borders. We have to figure this out, right?https://twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg/status/1057411009474781184 …
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So peaks are ontological Platonic ideals in a sense? If so, & something like a placeholder for "attaining absolute moral perfection" (akin to mathematical truth) & climbing towards them is consistent with infinite progress -very well. But in that case, there's identically one. :)
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But if a peak is actually reachable - obtainable by fallible humans - then there must be a way of knowing that we're on a peak as well as not. Fallibly as always.
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Ah, in order for it to be obtainable to arbitrary accuracy we have to be able to detect and correct for the error of being moved off the peak? Then the impossibility of knowing when you're on a peak implies peaks are physically impossible states.
End of conversation
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Invite
@ToKTeacher on your podcast to talk about knowledge and maybe the moral landscape in particular.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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Brett also argues morality is independent of biology and entirely dependent on solving moral problems. Whilst I agree solving moral problems is part of human morality, it is not the whole story. Where do moral problems come from? 1/9
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The answer is biology, they originate from genetic programming that generates a feeling of dissatisfaction. Described specifically by the concept called dukkha (Pali) from Buddhist philosophy. 2/9
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Without this feeling of dissatisfaction, no forms of desire or aversion would arise, and we would not be moved to do anything. In other words, there would be no moral problems. We would be absent of all feelings and emotions. 3/9
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Brett, you speculate about how meditation is effective. You guess dampening the conscious mind gets it out of the way of the unconscious mind and allows it more freedom to “do its thing” and solve problems. 4/9
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Yes, creativity is sometimes a benefit from practicing vipassana (mindfulness), but the practice is not about allowing the unconscious to do its thing. It is closer to the opposite. 5/9
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It involves focusing consciousness and paying close attention to feeling sensations that flow into conscious awareness from our unconscious mind, and then to the chain of reactions that often develops from there — specific thoughts, emotions, narratives, physical actions. 6/9
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The objective of vipassana is firstly to train ourselves to be able to consciously intervene in that chain of phenomena originating from the unconscious, and therefore to improve conscious decisions. 7/9
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Secondly and ultimately, to discover that the entity that experiences these feelings and mental phenomena is nebulous, that we cannot locate the “I” Experiencing this deeply helps greatly with the first objective. 8/9
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Sam, bring this dude on your podcast and spar.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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