A lot of rationalists seem to assume that “as you gain more IQ points, learn more facts, and think harder, you’ll naturally converge to the optimal theory of ethics.” Like the OP, I don’t think this is true in general.
A lot of rationalists also assume that you can since ethics by a solipsistic process that doesn’t take other people into account
One problem is that human value might be inherently multidimensional
It clearly varies a lot, and therefore
might as well be called human values.
What do values have to do with ethics, anyway? There is probably some relationship, and probably not simple two way identity.
Rationalists always equate ethics with values, rather than obligations, or virtues. There appears to be no specific reason for this. There are obvious things examples of values that aren’t ethically relevant, eg. I can value tutti frutti over vanilla, but it is not ethically relevant. The Three Word Theory, “Morality is values” doesn’t hone in on the topic, and probably leaves out important things like obligation.
The FTX debacle shows we gave a workable framework. If SBF had followed the rules, it wouldn’t have happened.
As far as practical, good enough ethics goes, deontology, maybe with consequentialist justification, wins. Every organised society uses it.
@Caleb Biddulph
A lot of rationalists also assume that you can since ethics by a solipsistic process that doesn’t take other people into account
@cousin_it
It clearly varies a lot, and therefore might as well be called human values.
What do values have to do with ethics, anyway? There is probably some relationship, and probably not simple two way identity.
Rationalists always equate ethics with values, rather than obligations, or virtues. There appears to be no specific reason for this. There are obvious things examples of values that aren’t ethically relevant, eg. I can value tutti frutti over vanilla, but it is not ethically relevant. The Three Word Theory, “Morality is values” doesn’t hone in on the topic, and probably leaves out important things like obligation.