Philosophy of values & ethics w/ Nigel Warburton: How to choose the right ethics

http://standstrong.tv/philosophy-values-and-ethics-nigel-warburton/

Nigel Warburton is a consquentialist (ends justify the means) who has dedicated much of his life to exploring philosophy, lecturing at The Open University, sharing his findings through books and his popular website, Philosophy Bites.

Regarding ethics, I asked Nigel if he believed in universal good. In this post-postmodern western world, one popular paradigm is that different opinions and lifestyles should be accepted. However, should we be all-accepting and avoid judging others, even if their definition of good is our definition of bad? What about judging those that judge others?

At the 4:45min mark I asked Nigel what he wants to be remembered for, what good he wants to leave behind:

"You are assuming I want to be remembered... That is a strange way of living (concerned about how we will be viewed in the future). John Stuart Mill said that 'one of the best ways of being happy is being immersed in something else.' As soon as you start reflecting on the types of things that make you happy, you lose the possibility of happiness. I dont think we should be living constantly with a view on how we will be judged in the future. I think we should be immersed in the causes that matter to us in the present."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• values and ethics
• code of ethics
• nigel warburton
• philosophy of ethics
• morals
• relativism
• philosophy
• london
• interview
• video

[MikeDrewYT]

Nigel states that a subjective moralist won't be reflective at all about what she's done. But that's clearly false - that's just amorality. A subjective moralist will have an idea what is right and wrong for her, and in no way does that imply that her actions are will reveal her true moral code. That would be a reductive morality of revealed intention. She may not believe that her moral code extends beyond herself, but that doesn't mean she won't be able to asses whether she's transgressed it.

[standstrongtv]

@MikeDrewYT Perhaps it would be a good to ask Nigel. His twitter handle (if you use) is twitter dot com/philosophybites

Best,

Filip

[prepirate]

It's nice to see Nigel at the other end of the mike!

[TallFastLoud]

I think Professor Warburton is misrepresenting moral relativism. Many moral relativists don't say that all moral viewpoints are equally valid everywhere and all the time; they just say that comparing moral views across vastly different societies can be difficult or impossible and that the idea of Absolute Truth is a fiction. It's NOT the same as nihilism. The kneejerk reaction against postmodernism is understandable for most people but from a professional philosopher, this is annoying

[ereignisfelder]

it's weird to actually "see the voice" of Philosophy bites

[nuriddeenknight]

yeah, nigel warburton! Great interview.