I actually put up another quote arguing for it, by Joshua Greene, making an analogy between successsful moral argument and the invention of new technology; even though a person rarely invents a whole new piece of technology, our world is defined by technological advance. Similarly, even though it is rare for a moral norm to change as a result of abstract argument, our social norms have change dramatically since times gone by.
Nonetheless, the quote works with empirical evidence, the ultimate arbiter of reality. It looks like, whilst moral argument can change our thoughts (and behaviour) on ethical issues, a lot of the time it doesn’t. Like technology, the big changes transform our world, but for the most part we’re just playing angry birds.
I actually put up another quote arguing for it, by Joshua Greene, making an analogy between successsful moral argument and the invention of new technology; even though a person rarely invents a whole new piece of technology, our world is defined by technological advance. Similarly, even though it is rare for a moral norm to change as a result of abstract argument, our social norms have change dramatically since times gone by.
Nonetheless, the quote works with empirical evidence, the ultimate arbiter of reality. It looks like, whilst moral argument can change our thoughts (and behaviour) on ethical issues, a lot of the time it doesn’t. Like technology, the big changes transform our world, but for the most part we’re just playing angry birds.