It’s true that he can’t divorce himself from human in a sense, but a few nitpicks.
1- In theory (although probably not in practice), Vaniver could imagine himself as another sort of hypothetically or actually possible moral being. Apes have morality, for example. You could counter with Elizier’s definition of morality here, but his case for moral convergence is fairly poor.
2- Even a completely amoral being can “think about morality” in the sense of attempting to predict human actions and taking moral codes into account.
3- I know this is very pedantic, but I would contend there are possible universes in which the phrase “You can’t divorce yourself from being human while thinking about morality” does not apply. An Aristotelean universe in which creatures have purposes and inherently gain satisfication from fullfilling their purpose would use an Aristotelean metaethics of purpose-fullfilment, and a Christian universe a metaethics of the Will of God- both would apply.
It’s true that he can’t divorce himself from human in a sense, but a few nitpicks.
1- In theory (although probably not in practice), Vaniver could imagine himself as another sort of hypothetically or actually possible moral being. Apes have morality, for example. You could counter with Elizier’s definition of morality here, but his case for moral convergence is fairly poor. 2- Even a completely amoral being can “think about morality” in the sense of attempting to predict human actions and taking moral codes into account. 3- I know this is very pedantic, but I would contend there are possible universes in which the phrase “You can’t divorce yourself from being human while thinking about morality” does not apply. An Aristotelean universe in which creatures have purposes and inherently gain satisfication from fullfilling their purpose would use an Aristotelean metaethics of purpose-fullfilment, and a Christian universe a metaethics of the Will of God- both would apply.