“Morality” is totally unlike mathematics where the rules can first be clearly defined, and we operate with that set of rules.
By that description, mathematics is fairly unlike mathematics.
I don’t even really understand what it entails.
It entails that behavior that people consider moral, tends towards having the property that if everyone behaved like that, things would be good. Rule of law, equality before the law, Rawlsian veil of ignorance, stare decisis, equality of opportunity, the golden rule, liberty, etc. Generally, norms that are symmetric across space, time, context, and person. (Not saying we actually have these things, or that “most people” explicitly think these things are good, just that people tend to update in favor of these things.)
It entails that behavior that people consider moral, tends towards having the property that if everyone behaved like that, things would be good
This is just circular. What is “good”?
Rule of law, equality before the law, Rawlsian veil of ignorance, stare decisis, equality of opportunity, the golden rule, liberty, etc. Generally, norms that are symmetric across space, time, context, and person. (Not saying we actually have these things, or that “most people” explicitly think these things are good, just that people tend to update in favor of these things.)
Evidence that “most people” update in favor of these things? It seems like a very current western morality centric view, and you could probably get people to update in the opposite direction (and they did, many times in history).
>Evidence that “most people” update in favor of these things? It seems like a very current western morality centric view,
Yeah, I think you’re right that it’s biased towards Western. I think you can generate the obvious examples (e.g. law systems developing; e.g. various revolutions in the name of liberty and equality and against tyranny), and I’m not interested enough right now to come up with more comprehensive treatment of the evidence, and I’m not super confident. It could be interesting to see how this plays out in places where these tendencies seem least present. Is China such a place? (What do most people living in China really think of non-liberty, non-Rawlsianism, etc.?)
By that description, mathematics is fairly unlike mathematics.
It entails that behavior that people consider moral, tends towards having the property that if everyone behaved like that, things would be good. Rule of law, equality before the law, Rawlsian veil of ignorance, stare decisis, equality of opportunity, the golden rule, liberty, etc. Generally, norms that are symmetric across space, time, context, and person. (Not saying we actually have these things, or that “most people” explicitly think these things are good, just that people tend to update in favor of these things.)
This is just circular. What is “good”?
Evidence that “most people” update in favor of these things? It seems like a very current western morality centric view, and you could probably get people to update in the opposite direction (and they did, many times in history).
>Evidence that “most people” update in favor of these things? It seems like a very current western morality centric view,
Yeah, I think you’re right that it’s biased towards Western. I think you can generate the obvious examples (e.g. law systems developing; e.g. various revolutions in the name of liberty and equality and against tyranny), and I’m not interested enough right now to come up with more comprehensive treatment of the evidence, and I’m not super confident. It could be interesting to see how this plays out in places where these tendencies seem least present. Is China such a place? (What do most people living in China really think of non-liberty, non-Rawlsianism, etc.?)