Mr. Potter, in the end people all do what they want to do. Sometimes people gives names like ‘right’ to the things they want to do, but how could we possibly act on anything but our own desires?
-- Rational!Quirrel, HPMoR chapter 20
In other words: how else can you justify a moral belief and consequent actions, except by saying that you really truly believe in your heart that you’re Right?
We should not confuse between the fact that almost all people other than Manson think he was morally wrong, and the fact that his justification for his action seems to me to be of the same kind as the justifications anyone else ever gives for their moral beliefs and actions.
Unlike Quirrell, Penn Jillette is not referring to “knowing in your heart” that your moral values are correct, but to “knowing in your heart” some matters of fact (which may then serve as a justification for having some moral values, or directly for some action).
“Deserving” is a moral theorem, not a moral axiom. You can most definitely test and check whether someone deserves something, by asking about the rules of the game and their position within the game.
If there is no game at hand, I would say “deserving” becomes nonsense, but that’s just me.
If you’re a moral realist, and you think moral opinions are statements of fact (which may be right or wrong), then you think it’s possible to “know in your heart” moral “facts”.
If you’re a moral anti-realist (like me), and you think moral opinions are statements of preferences (in other words, statements of fact about your own preferences and your own brain-wiring), then all moral opinions are such. And then surely Manson’s statement of his preferences has the same status as anyone else’s, and the only difference is that most people disagree with Manson.
What else is there?
However, it’s true that Jillette talks about factual amoral beliefs like fairies and gods. So my comment was somewhat misdirected. I still think it’s partly relevant, because people who believe in gods (i.e. most people) usually tie them closely to their moral opinions. It’s impossible to discuss morals (of most humans) without discussing religious beliefs.
-- Rational!Quirrel, HPMoR chapter 20
In other words: how else can you justify a moral belief and consequent actions, except by saying that you really truly believe in your heart that you’re Right?
We should not confuse between the fact that almost all people other than Manson think he was morally wrong, and the fact that his justification for his action seems to me to be of the same kind as the justifications anyone else ever gives for their moral beliefs and actions.
Unlike Quirrell, Penn Jillette is not referring to “knowing in your heart” that your moral values are correct, but to “knowing in your heart” some matters of fact (which may then serve as a justification for having some moral values, or directly for some action).
In what way is “deserve” a matter of fact?
“Deserving” is a moral theorem, not a moral axiom. You can most definitely test and check whether someone deserves something, by asking about the rules of the game and their position within the game.
If there is no game at hand, I would say “deserving” becomes nonsense, but that’s just me.
If you’re a moral realist, and you think moral opinions are statements of fact (which may be right or wrong), then you think it’s possible to “know in your heart” moral “facts”.
If you’re a moral anti-realist (like me), and you think moral opinions are statements of preferences (in other words, statements of fact about your own preferences and your own brain-wiring), then all moral opinions are such. And then surely Manson’s statement of his preferences has the same status as anyone else’s, and the only difference is that most people disagree with Manson.
What else is there?
However, it’s true that Jillette talks about factual amoral beliefs like fairies and gods. So my comment was somewhat misdirected. I still think it’s partly relevant, because people who believe in gods (i.e. most people) usually tie them closely to their moral opinions. It’s impossible to discuss morals (of most humans) without discussing religious beliefs.