Re: ESSAY: Forward Moral Nihilism

From: artie (artie_t@swbell.net)
Date: Sun May 14 2006 - 09:39:50 MDT


m.l.vere@durham.ac.uk wrote:

>I’ve been lurking for a while, and the one thing that has really struck me is
>that whilst a (largely commendable) near worship of rationality exists on the
>SL4 list, this has a huge blindspot. Everyone cleaves nearly unquestioningly
>to wider societies superstitious moralism.
>
>Why does anyone have morals, or believe that other people/sentients have
>intrisnic worth?
>
>...
>
>Morality is completely artificial.
>
You use "artificial" as if it were a dirty word. In an AI discussion
group, if not the world at large, artifice is everything. You suggest
moral nihilism would bring about a "happier more fulfilling human life,"
assuming that it is possible to be completely nihilistic, from a moral
perpective. I suspect your endoresment of moral nihilism would come to
an abrupt halt the first time the fist of a moral absolutist made
contact with your nose.

Artie



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