This episode was recorded on November 25, 2021.
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Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, New York Times best-selling author, host of the Making Sense podcast, and creator of the “Waking up” app. Dr. Harris and I discuss the is/ought problem, dreams, attention, evidence, consciousness, logic, psychedelics, religion, Waking Up, and much more.
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Meditate with the Waking Up app: https://wakingup.com
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Listen to the Making Sense podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5rgumWEx4FsqIY8e1wJNAk?si=14b735150ec24b84
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Sam’s website: http://SamHarris.org
Relevant Links
- 12 Rules for Life Live Tour: www.jordanbpeterson.com/events
- My new book: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: jordanbpeterson.com/12-rules-for-life
- My first book: Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief: jordanbpeterson.com/maps-of-meaning
- Dr Jordan B Peterson Website: jordanbpeterson.com/
- Self Authoring Suite: selfauthoring.com/
- Understand Myself personality test: understandmyself.com/
- Blog: jordanbpeterson.com/blog/
- Podcast: jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/
- Reading List: jordanbpeterson.com/great-books/
- Twitter: twitter.com/jordanbpeterson
- Support This Podcast: jordanbpeterson.com/donate/
Very enjoyable discussion from both participants. Big fan of Jordans, seen him speak in Edinburgh. This conversation made me think. Sam Harris had some good points. Jordan as usual balled them right back. Great discussion. Likewise with Steven Fry. Unfortunately I’m still traumatised by the unchallenged, terrible debate with MH. If your going to have a debate about Islam have it with someone who doesn’t need help, or visual aides! If you insist on debating the exististence of God in the context of the Bible with every other guest without mentioning anything from the bible, don’t be surprised if you start losing followers. Don’t bring specific religious scholars on and not ask vital, obvious questions, embarrassing. If only Ravi was still alive. Other than that this service is satisfactory!
http://www.radicalacademy.org/adlertruthgood.html
This link provided a synopsis of the explanation of a moral axiom, which is the solution to a rational beginning to morality or prescriptive truth, and to the is ought issue.
As further help, value must be contextual. We do not have access in any shared way to cosmic truth of value that extends beyond the context of human life in the universe available to our senses. The human needs (vice wants) for the maintenance of any human life in continued living existence can permit the construction of the abstract necessary principles for human action, and these construct an in context set of prescriptive truths or morality for every human. (Provided the moral axiom is recognized.) As these principles need apply to each human, they furnish a framework of objective morality because any violation cuts off the branch on which their own needs depend. Sam can be correct that morality can be dug out of objective experience (with human life) because human life depends on non contradictory identification to a purpose in the context of human physiology and the earth environment. Ie it depends on reasoned action to specific environment determined purposes — namely necessary private consumables and sole use necessities. Human life itself provides the standard. The human necessities for life and the nature of reasoned action provide the moral method. Any dissent by suicidal animals (consistent nihilists) is not relevant to the context.
A final note- while moral fundamentals can be discovered by analysis of what is, human life, human needs, and the human tool of survival (reason) — it does not paint a complete picture. The realization that human meaning is relational helps a great deal. Then, the realization that the nature of individuality makes good faith necessary for relation which is necessary for good meaning, furnishes enough to be going on with.
Cordially
WJY