I’m going to put in some serious hours over the next few days and work on the next podcast episode. I haven’t picked a title yet, but it’s going to be about science and morality, or more specifically, whether or not there’s a basis of morality in science. By “morality” I do not mean to talk about psychology. In other words, the issue I’ll be discussing isn’t whether or not science can explain why people form some of the moral beliefs they do. That’s not an ethical question, it’s a psychological question. This episode will be about the relationship between morality and science.
I’ll be interacting with Sam Harris, one of the so-called “new atheists,” prolific writer and speaker against religious belief. He has proposed a scientific basis of morality, and his new book on the subject will be released later this year. I can’t say a lot at this stage as I’ll be listening to a series of talks by him on the subject tonight. Sit tight.
For those who don’t regularly read the blog, here’s another reminder about my trip to Oxford in late August. I’ll be speaking on religion in the public square at Merton College, Oxford University. It’s for the conference of the European Society for the Philosophy of Religion. I’m raising funds to make the trip (alas, amateurs like me don’t have academic departments to support them). Check out my original post on the subject if you haven’t, seen it already (or click on the flashing “help get me to Oxford” button on the right). I’ve really appreciated the donations that people have so generously given. As things stand at the moment, I’m just a little under halfway there.
Zachary
This podcast sounds highly promising – Sam Harris’ views on morality are very popular with some atheist acquaintances in akl – and the ideas do seem to be coming from somewhere new-ish from what little I’ve heard thus far. I’m super pleased you’re engaging with them.