From: Marc Geddes (marc_geddes@yahoo.co.nz)
Date: Mon Mar 01 2004 - 23:10:10 MST
--- Ben Goertzel <ben@goertzel.org> wrote: >
> Marc,
>
> I am not sure that there is a University Morality.
>
> If we take Rafal's statement that morality is all
> about
>
> "Creating rule systems that will be accepted"
>
> or more restrictively
>
> "Creating rule systems that will be accepted by
> communities of freely
> choosing minds"
>
> then there can be a science about which kinds of
> rule systems will tend to
> be accepted.
>
> If there are universal principles discovered by this
> science, these might
> constitute "universal morality" ?
>
> -- Ben G
That's right. By 'Universal Morality' I just mean ,
at least, a morality that can be accepted. I leave
open the question of whether this morality has any
'cosmic' existence or not. I don't say whether this
morality is somehow 'Objective' or written into the
fabric of the universe (although my own personal view
is that it is).
Without a Universal Morality in the minimal sense that
I defined it, no civil society would be possible.
If there were not some rules in common (that a
majority implicitly accepted) then no civil social
interactions could occur. As Rafal said, there has to
be a minimal set of rules 'that are accepted'.
'Rules that are accepted' have to have, at least, the
general characteristics that I stated:
These rules have to be:
*Morally symmetric
*Consistent
*Non-Observer centered
*Normative (most sentients will come to agree on them)
And so we have a minimal definition of 'Universal
Morality' !
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