I’m linking to this so I don’t lose it. Frankly, the idea espoused here frightens me.
Not that I think religion always, or even usually, tells us the best way to live — but because the idea here is that under the rubric of “science”, those who think they know best can tell us what is right and wrong, and not have to listen to any arguments.
Sam Harris says that science can show us the best ways for human beings to thrive – and we can then junk religion forever
Most people say that science can tell us facts about the world but not about moral values. Do you disagree?
Questions of right and wrong, good and evil, are questions about human and animal well-being. The moment we admit this we see that science can, in principle, answer such questions – because the experience of conscious creatures depends on the way the universe is. In our case, the difference between the worst possible suffering and the greatest flourishing depends on everything that can influence states of the human brain, ranging from changes in our genome to changes in the global economy. The relevant details of genetics, neurobiology, psychology, sociology, economics and so on are fantastically complicated, but there is no question that these are domains in which there are truths to be discovered and they fall squarely within the purview of science.