The age of reason and enlightenment preserve the humanist
theories of society and the thinkers during the time of the scientific
revolution that many opened their thinking from more of their mythical beliefs
to a more logical way of dealing and managing society. Another writer who inspire me in my further
readings related to social science is Michael Shermer who is a Professor and director
of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. He is the author of many publications like
the Weird Things, Why People Believe, The Believing Brain and other
publications from Scientific American and Skeptic Magazine. In his book the Moral
Arc suggest many conflicting parts of morality and the friction between the old
beliefs and the present scientific based society. Ever since the age of reason and the enlightenment
economics and the activities of the whole society are all based by facts and
data reading it with the highest available computing analysis and the computing
data output.
Thus the free thinkers of
today are imagining the movement of logic in the society today that from traffic
to logistics all are programmed with the latest computing analysis. On the contrary the book also discussed the
conflicting side of the many theories that Michael Shermer discussed in the
book. Most of the business theories that
are being discussed that later I will discuss the conflicting side of the Prisoners
Dilemma to the fundamental aspect of morality in which philosophy in my own opinion
there are still many aspects that needs to be rectified to adjust its sensibility
in the modern-day civilization. But
first the book also emphasizes importantly the inner meaning of Arc from its main
Thesis The Moral Arc. The Moral Arc of
the universe does indeed bend toward justice. In addition to religious
conscience and stirring values and rhetoric are subject to bend towards the
logic of science that by centuries the reason of humans is all advancing
towards a moral oriented society. Moral Universe bends not merely towards
justice, but also towards truth and freedom.
According to Shermer that by allowing justice to rule the given society
truth and freedom can be obtained of all the members of the society.
But these are all easier than done. Because the
fact that a reasonable premise of a given person may not be acceptable to the
other. It means that it is no longer
acceptable to simply assert your moral beliefs because of the many beliefs that
other people tend to conflict in the morality that is being practiced. Your right may not the right of everyone you
have to provide reason for them, and those reasons must be grounded by the
fundamental evidence either by empirical observation and rational
government. As humans and society, we
tend to trade not only goods but also ideas and information that by the present
time our ideas and scientific information are valuable in the scientific
business market for example. Just
imagine during the time of the industrial revolution that everyone is trying to
make their technology innovation to be patented in order to get the royalties
of their knowledge. Everyone including Einstein is one of the many poor Professors
who tried to create many scientific discoveries and contributed their discoveries
from small kitchen machines used to the big airplanes and aircraft carriers are
all the gift of mankind’s knowledge.
Michael Shermer also quoted many times the sayings and the writings of
Steven Pinker regarding his book The Better Angels of Our Nature (http://avantgardebyryanf.blogspot.com/2018/08/genetic-violence-philosophical-views-of.html)
that violence is in our human nature that once being triggered by unavoidable
events in the society one may be violent in nature. Michael Shermer follows the
academic presentation of Pinker to adhere to the philosophical presentation of
nature and violence through the many years that mankind survived. According to Pinker that mankind decreased in
terms of violence due to the integration of science and logic given by the
renaissance people who discover the process of discovery that by then society
tends to transform its beliefs from Witch Craft and Human Religious Crucifixion
towards a more humanist and just judiciary of today. According to the many Religious War and
governance during the time before the Magna Carta, Religious practices are
integrated with governance indeed we cannot deny the fact that many are being
killed and oppressed during the time when religious beliefs are being used as a
source of political governance. Unlike
today religious practices are solely used as a personal reflection of the
individual separating the political state and governance.
Since then, the gift of Magna Carta allows
the many philosophers to exercise their formulated philosophical theories to be
followed by many empires of Europe at that time. Furthermore, The Scientific Revolution led to
the age of reason and the enlightenment, and that changed everything. (http://avantgardebyryanf.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-modern-minds-and-idea-of-scientific.html)
But twisting the goodness of science given to mankind given that the religious
integration of church and state resulted to many anarchical incidents in the
history of mankind civilization tend to resort with the use of science in
warfare. As a result science and reason resulted
to the creation of Nuclear Proliferation and the future nuclear war. If we visit again the concepts of Pinker that
humans by nature are violent, though our political system are becoming more
high technology driven with the most logical output of decision making but
still our natural tendencies to convert technology discoveries towards the
basic concepts of human survival in its habitat are still very clear in the
world politics of today.
As the motives of James Conant to the creation of the
nuclear technology in his personal belief and philosophy that his new invented
technology will not only save the world but also the whole humanity. But according to my last blog thesis that
knowledge is lethal that in a sense technology discovery is a double-edged
sword that one technological discovery can be immediately weaponized. As by the later years, United States did not realized that their
discoveries of nuclear technology is not only being used as a means to generate
more electric power in our homes just what Japan is doing know but some
countries are using the “sword” of the nuclear in the way around that by the
present time it also threatens the country that once discovered the
technology. We can all noticed in the
new since after world war 2b that the united states are having a hard time on
controlling the use of weaponized nuclear. Soviet, Cuba, Iran, and the latest
the North Korea are all the copy cats of the technology created by James B
Conant. (http://avantgardebyryanf.blogspot.com/2018/09/when-knowledge-is-lethal-james-b-conant.html)
Since the book of Michael Shermer magnify the
premise that science and reason are the driver of morality, does it mean that during
the time of Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombing nuclear weapons are morality right
to use and now that world war 2 is over to use nuclear as a weapon is not morally
right in the eyes of humanity? It seems
that the case of climate change is in a parallel dilemma in terms of the
philosophical argument.
If the reader of
my blog can notice the parallel view of morality in terms of nuclear arms and
climate change it seems that the advance countries during the time of the
industrial revolution are the once who are enjoying the wealth of the world
knowing that the fossil resource of the world is abundant. Now that 2nd and 3rd
world countries are starting to emerge as and economic empires of the world
like China and the rest of Asia, 1st world countries are already feeling
the effect of global warming that by the present global morality in terms of
using fossil fuel if one is using the natural fuel of the world is now deem
accountable of the natural warming and disaster of the world. It seems that the abuse of nature long time
ago is not included of the suffering of today. Tsunami in Indonesia recently
are subject to the climate change from the ruining of the natural resources not
by this time alone but since God created the world. And to consider the use of natural gas during
the industrial revolution smoke are everywhere in Manchester that by then the
game of football and the many clubs in England are the result of making money
out of the natural resources at that time.
The Titanic is moving as a gigantic machine in the ocean at that time because
of the use and the power of coal. Though
without the Titanic, Jack and Rose will not fall in love with each other. But many technological machines during the
time of the industrial revolution are hugely part of ruining the natural
resource of the world. Furthermore, the
author also used the Theory of James Flynn.
Flynn discovered that IQ scores have been going up, on average, 3 points
every decade for the past century. According to Flynn for the past century
people have learned to think more abstractly than concretely. What does this mean to the world of
governance in terms of the scientific theories that many world governments are
following the scientific data being produced from their different agencies.
As reason and IQ of humans are increasing would
it be possible that morality can be orchestrated with the new logical discoveries
of today? Michael Shermer further
considered the theory of John Forbes Nash Jr. The Game Theory and the Prisoner’s Dilemma Matrix for
Cheating. Do you think that by adherence
to quadrant 1 which is both parties will cooperate will lead to a mutual
understanding of cheating the system or any given governance? (http://avantgardebyryanf.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-beautiful-mind-is-mind-of-ideas.html)
Thus, in governance and procurement of huge government infrastructure are
always leaning to the great possibilities of cooperating not for the good but
for the corrupt practices that in the long run those practices when repeated
many times it will be an accepted norm of the land. In this notion would you
think science will help morality in the future? Or it will be worse than
religion during the middle ages when religious beliefs are used as governance and
political excuse to take advantage of humanity? Is science a solution to
humanity or the start of moral chaos?
Morality and Ethics of Climate Change
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