Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions

http://www.ted.com Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can -- and should -- be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

• Category

  Science & Technology

[dannyboy3033]

Religion is man made, that's why there's so many of them and why it hugs the borders of old empires. If you were to fall ill and had the choice of two hospitals, one religious where people gather around your bed and pray for you and maybe sprinkle holly water on you or one that uses the products of science, alert to the most current thinking and technology which would you choose? Science constantly questions itself unlike religion and is the reason humanity has progressed to where it is.

[Anil C R]

Sam Harris is an amazing speaker.

[mastertheillusion]

Religion holds a false argument. And science is not about what we want or prefer, its about exploring data and drawing conclusions and having others do the same, and other versions arrive as knowledge keeps progressing forward the truth forever marchs on, via exploration. Religion tells you 'we know' when we do not.

[chardsixteen]

actually no, humans and monkeys came from the same ancestor which is neither ^_^

[Hajjat]

What's new about his ideas? Seriously, I don't find anything particularly new/novel over what most educated people know about the relation between science and morality..

[dannyboy3033]

I don't know what religion you are, but some religions worldwide are stultifying, repressing and harming people daily. I don't see what you find so scary about my metaphor. Science learns from its mistakes or at least tries to and is constantly searching for answers. Religion by and large refers to an interpretation of a book or a divine being for answers. You refer to 'My' god, which is presumably the god you want. The secular scientific world is saving people every second.

[dannyboy3033]

I'm not familiar with American medical institutions as I'm from Scotland and am therefore familiar with the NHS. The NHS treats people based on their medical needs not on what they can pay.

Science is not a religion it is a method or an ethos to find empirical truths and is open to question within itself and to criticism generally. It's about evidence. You can't for example be excommunicated or have a fatwa put on you for questioning E-MC2, the opposite can't be said of religion.

[Richard Zhang]

the hmong's interaction and common issues with dealing with american medical institutions all but make your metaphor even scarier.

Yes science seems like a religion. But my religion is saving people today.

My god needs no one to fight for his way because his way is the way. Sounds like buddhist shit but when you begin to do some of the things the medical profession has and will accomplished....

The important thing to take from all of this is that culture controls,creates and molds the brain.

[Hijodeganas1]

In all honesty, abnormal psychology never interested me that deeply so I don't know enough about it to make any claims. I'd have to look into it more.

Thanks for the discussion.

[Hijodeganas1]

Sure, from what I've read myself this makes a lot of sense. No argument here.

I suppose you could argue that if psychopathy is to one degree or another genetic, it could be something that is necessarily triggered by the environment. There are some cases in which that wouldn't make sense, though. If you look at the families or upbringing of some individuals with abrnomal personalities there is little indication that environment causes their abnormality.

[Hijodeganas1]

I realize evolution is not guided by an intelligent design or anything like that, but the tendency is for it to weed out detrimental traits and cultivate beneficial ones. Homosexuality, on the other hand, has existed over a considerable number of generations in a variety of mammalian species. It's possible that it (and psychopathy) just haven't been eliminated yet, but it doesn't seem any more likely than not to me.

When has a harmful mutation been prevalent?

[Hijodeganas1]

I've heard/read differently, so please provide evidence of these claims.

"psychopathy has been proven over and over again to be environmental and rarely genetic"

But saying "rarely genetic" you are saying that in most cases it is NOT genetic, which leaves ONLY environmental, hence you are essentially saying that it is usually STRICTLY genetic. Are you now retracting that claim and making a new one?

You could tell me the names of websites and/or studies or books that make these claims.