This is a great post, and I think does a good job of capturing why the two sides tend to talk past each other. A is baffled by why B claims to be able to reduce free-floating symbols to other symbols; B is baffled by why A claims to be using free-floating symbols.
They’re also both probably right when it comes to “defending standard usage”, and are just defending/highlighting different aspects of folk moral communication.
People often use “should” language to try to communicate facts; and if they were more self-aware about the truth-conditions of that language, they would be better able to communicate and achieve their goals. Harris thinks this is important.
People also often use “should” language to try to directly modify each others’ motivations. (E.g., trying to express themselves in ways they think will apply social pressure or tug at someone’s heartstrings.) Harris’ critics think this is important, and worry that uncritically accepting Harris’ project could conceal this phenomenon without making it go away.
(Well, I think the latter is less mysterian than the typical anti-Harris ethics argument, and Harris would probably be more sympathetic to the above framing than to the typical “ought is just its own thing, end of story” argument.)
This is a great post, and I think does a good job of capturing why the two sides tend to talk past each other. A is baffled by why B claims to be able to reduce free-floating symbols to other symbols; B is baffled by why A claims to be using free-floating symbols.
They’re also both probably right when it comes to “defending standard usage”, and are just defending/highlighting different aspects of folk moral communication.
People often use “should” language to try to communicate facts; and if they were more self-aware about the truth-conditions of that language, they would be better able to communicate and achieve their goals. Harris thinks this is important.
People also often use “should” language to try to directly modify each others’ motivations. (E.g., trying to express themselves in ways they think will apply social pressure or tug at someone’s heartstrings.) Harris’ critics think this is important, and worry that uncritically accepting Harris’ project could conceal this phenomenon without making it go away.
(Well, I think the latter is less mysterian than the typical anti-Harris ethics argument, and Harris would probably be more sympathetic to the above framing than to the typical “ought is just its own thing, end of story” argument.)