Part One: Reflections on UPB: A Critique of Molyneux

NOTE: This video pertains to the work of Stefan Molyneux, If you aren't familiar with his work, this might not make all that much sense to you.

My thoughts and critique of UPB & Molyneux after the debate I had with him.

Link to the full text: http://antiacademic.blogspot.com/2009/04/reflections-of-upb-total-critique-of...

Link to Luke12000's UPB video touching upon the points that I missed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4DzWqVM4RI&feature=channel_page

References:

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_ethics

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv4ZZUrU27c
(video introduction to meta-ethics)

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CueDiner6t0

(Stefbot Quotes)

4)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8nB2FjS8AQ

(Stefbot Quotes)

5 ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQSUFGbEqI&feature=channel_page

(Stefbot quotes & the video Im responding to)
6) http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-anti-realism/

7) http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-cognitivism/
(Moral-Cognitivism-VS-Non-cognitivism)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• UPB
• Stefan
• Molyneux
• Ethical
• Universally
• Preferable
• Behavior
• Objectivism
• Meta-ethics
• Nhilism
• non-cognitivism
• realism
• morality
• debate
• discussion
• philosophy
• epistemology
• is
• ought
• problem
• Anti
• critique
• analysis
• deconstruction
• Anarchism
• libertarianism
• Freedomain
• Radio
• Ethics
• Stefbot
• Critique
• Sophistry
• Logic
• Deontology
• Consequentialism

[Sewblon]

Wait, I watched the video again and now it looks like you used "begging the question" correctly, sorry.

[Sewblon]

You used "begs the question" wrong, I think you mean "raises the question." "Begging the question" Means asking a question that presupposes the conclusion one seeks to demonstrate. As in asking someone "Is this the person you raped" to prove that they raped someone. Other than that I basically agree with you.

[stayawile]

Nice intro - contrast betweeen your youthful good looks and his... well not quite so much of either :-> Have a look at the website for freedomainradio with a .co.uk domain instead of the .com for some insights

[kokopelli314]

You've made some good points although Molyneux might call you a relativist. Hardcore objectivists, (as if there's any other type) have a hard time with cognocentricity, or believing their own thoughts. Godel's incompleteness applies just as equally to our understanding and use of reason and proof. Claims of universality could be considered just another panacea, so the objectivist aspiration looks more like a travelling medicine show with it's promise of moral certitude.

[bigtarrose]

You are too young to worry about morality. Go out and get laid before you lose your hair. A lie is as good as the truth as long as you stick to your story. Tell the girls you have ten inches and falsehood wins every time.

[dubified89]

Is there really a point to any of this?

[modelmark]

@errorspending I listened to an audio book about morality today. The author stressed that for survival a good lie is sometimes evolutionary beneficial and can be made most convincingly when you believe it yourself.

Much of the confusion comes from this. I do not claim that people always tell the truth, just that in a debate, each party at least publicly claim, to pursue truth. And theories are evaluated to their truth value. How successful we are at this is another matter.

[errorspending]

@LaughingMan0X sorry, maybe my example isn't the best because you don't have the option to eat healthy in it......so let's just say that you choose to drink an energy drink because you have to get a lot of work done by the next morning even though you know that the energy drink is not good for you. This would not invalidate your valuing of eating/drinking healthily...

[errorspending]

@LaughingMan0X Let's try and spin this example another way....

If you were locked in a candy store over the weekend and all you had to eat was candy, and you chose to eat it rather than starve to death, would that mean that you valued eating junk food over eating healthily?

My point is that telling the truth and valuing truth for scientific propositions are two different things...

[errorspending]

@LaughingMan0X it is a direct testament to the fact that the person does value true and objective reality, which is that the concentration camp is going to be a dangerous and life-threatening place to be put.