How Science Can Determine Human Values

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Sam Harris @ TEDtalks (Part 1/3): How science can determine human values. Can science answer moral questions?

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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.

• http://www.ted.com

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Sam Harris has been identified as one of the "Four Horsemen of Atheism" -- company he shares with Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett and Christopher Hitchens. An outspoken proponent of skepticism and science, his two books -- "The End of Faith" and its follow-up "Letter to a Christian Nation" -- have become best-sellers.

In "The End of Faith", Harris showed "a harrowing glimpse of mankinds willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when these beliefs inspire the worst of human atrocities."

After receiving thousands of angry letters in response, he wrote "Letter to a Christian Nation", which centered on religious controversies in the United States: stem cell research, intelligent design, and links between religion and violence.

Harris received a degree in philosophy from Stanford and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He is the co-founder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society.

• http://www.ted.com/speakers/sam_harris.html
• http://www.samharris.org/
• http://www.project-reason.org/
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Category:

Education

Tags:

• sam
• harris
• science
• morals
• morality
• secular
• human
• values
• good
• evil
• life
• project
• reason
• atheists
• atheism
• religion
• christianity
• faith

[BrettSchall]

@Imaginefree69 Ironically, they don't seem to read the very books they claim to believe in, either.

[KTK401]

@aegisgfx Ben Stiller is Jewish and a Believer.

What the dickens are you talking about? lol!

[FreeThinkingBeing]

Makes sense that science should be able to cover morality and even spirituality. It is simply research and codification of knowledge after all and there is obviously the existence of something to be known here. Though the brain part was an unscientific assumption.

[shoppittsburghnow]

Very enjoyable thank you

[smuggecko]

you have some great stuff here

[prchecker]

brilliant video

[medexamtoolsdotcom]

I have a hard time telling apart Sam Harris and Ben Stiller. To me, they look like the same exact person. Does anyone else have that problem?

[SuperDogbrown]

great video thanks

[Flusercom]

Very Infomative. Thanks.. Goods Vids

[Spasatcom]

Good Video.. Thanks for shared

[Nemesis000000]

@geilman He deals extensively with is/ought, hume, and various areas of philosophy in the moral landscape, and if I remember correctly, this very talk (at least the longer versions). He has a BA in philosophy.

Sorry but to even wonder if he is completely ignorant of moral philosophy when he wrote a book about it is ignorant on your part, not his.