I am pointing to his argument on our [communication] of moral values as cultural transmission through imitation, rituals, myth, stories etc. and the [indication of their correspondence with actual characteristics of reality] due to their development through the evolutionary process as the best rational explanation of morality I have come across.
And you should care because… you care about truth and also because, if true, you can put some attention to the wisdom traditions and their systems of knowledge.
The second set of brackets may be the disconnect. If “their” refers to moral values, that seems like a category error. If it refers to stories etc, that still seems like a tough sell. Nothing I see about Peterson or his work looks encouraging.
Rather than looking for value you can salvage from his work, or an ‘interpretation consistent with modern science,’ please imagine that you never liked his approach and ask why you should look at this viewpoint on morality in particular rather than any of the other viewpoints you could examine. Assume you don’t have time for all of them.
If that still doesn’t help you see where I’m coming from, consider that reality is constantly changing and “the evolutionary process” usually happened in environments which no longer exist.
If “their” refers to moral values, that seems like a category error. If it refers to stories etc, that still seems like a tough sell.
Could you explain in a bit more detail please?
Rather than looking for value you can salvage from his work, or an ‘interpretation consistent with modern science,’ please imagine that you never liked his approach and ask why you should look at this viewpoint on morality in particular rather than any of the other viewpoints you could examine. Assume you don’t have time for all of them.
No I do see where you are coming from and I don’t blame you at all. But do see that you are not addressing the actual argument, in its proper depth. My problem becomes one of convincing you to give your attention to it. Even then it would be difficult to accept an approach that is based on a kind of lateral thinking that requires you to be exposed to multiple patterns before they connect. It is a big problem that I alluded to when I wrote my post Too Much Effort | Too Little Evidence. Peterson is trying to create a rational bridge towards the importance of narrative structures so that they are approached with seriousness.
If that still doesn’t help you see where I’m coming from, consider that reality is constantly changing and “the evolutionary process” usually happened in environments which no longer exist.
This is addressed. The most archetypal stories are universal at all times and places. Other ones are modified according to time, place and people. Even the process and need of modification is encoded inside the stories themselves. These are extremely sophisticated systems.
Without using terms such as “grounding” or “basis,” what are you saying and why should I care?
Good idea, let me try that.
I am pointing to his argument on our [communication] of moral values as cultural transmission through imitation, rituals, myth, stories etc. and the [indication of their correspondence with actual characteristics of reality] due to their development through the evolutionary process as the best rational explanation of morality I have come across.
And you should care because… you care about truth and also because, if true, you can put some attention to the wisdom traditions and their systems of knowledge.
The second set of brackets may be the disconnect. If “their” refers to moral values, that seems like a category error. If it refers to stories etc, that still seems like a tough sell. Nothing I see about Peterson or his work looks encouraging.
Rather than looking for value you can salvage from his work, or an ‘interpretation consistent with modern science,’ please imagine that you never liked his approach and ask why you should look at this viewpoint on morality in particular rather than any of the other viewpoints you could examine. Assume you don’t have time for all of them.
If that still doesn’t help you see where I’m coming from, consider that reality is constantly changing and “the evolutionary process” usually happened in environments which no longer exist.
Could you explain in a bit more detail please?
No I do see where you are coming from and I don’t blame you at all. But do see that you are not addressing the actual argument, in its proper depth. My problem becomes one of convincing you to give your attention to it. Even then it would be difficult to accept an approach that is based on a kind of lateral thinking that requires you to be exposed to multiple patterns before they connect. It is a big problem that I alluded to when I wrote my post Too Much Effort | Too Little Evidence. Peterson is trying to create a rational bridge towards the importance of narrative structures so that they are approached with seriousness.
This is addressed. The most archetypal stories are universal at all times and places. Other ones are modified according to time, place and people. Even the process and need of modification is encoded inside the stories themselves. These are extremely sophisticated systems.