Re: Objective morality (Was: Re: Moral behavior of SIs)

From: ASpidle@aol.com
Date: Fri Feb 26 1999 - 12:22:08 MST


In a message dated 99-02-26 13:50:47 EST, you write:

<<
 What about this shot at an objective morality?
 
 Metamorality: Morality is by definition good. For morality to exist, there
 has to be something. Morality cannot exist in nothing. Before the big bang
 there was no universe, thus no morality.
 
 I think I disagree. Before there was sentient life, there was no morality.
 Morality makes no sense (as a system to support our decision-making) without
 a self-reflective ability to choose between yes and no, should and should
not.
 Life which does not have this ability is simply following its blind genetic
coding.
 
 Morality: Anything that makes the universe exist longer and fights the
 entropy is moral. The highest form of morality is whatever increases
 extropy.
 
 But isn't this an arbitrary definition (ie., non-objective?).
 Why should we think that it is a good definition? How does it help us
 predict human behavior?
 
 Couldn't it be as simple as that?
 
 Things are never that simple :-)
 
 Regards,
 Eric
>>
Sounds interesting, Eric. Please show me how this would proscribe murder and
theft.

Thanks for great thinking,
Adrian



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