I haven’t finished reading the comments here, so it’s possible my mind will be changed.
I actually see the difference between these two arguments (represented by Sam Harris and Hume) as being a buckets issue. Sam Harris puts “ought” in the same bucket as “is.” In most cases, the thing that causes harm or joy is relatively obvious, so there is no problem with having “ought” and “is” in the same bucket. The problem with having things in the same bucket in general is that we tend to forget that the bucket exists, and think the two concepts are always inherently linked. I think Sam Harris’ view is a valid one, especially on an intuitive and emotional level. However, I think there is still an important distinction to made here and that arguing between these two points of view is still valid.
What principles guide the “oughts?” Let’s look at abortion. People on one side say that ending life is obviously causing suffering by depriving a living thing of the rest of its life. People on the other side don’t disagree with that principle, but they disagree that a fetus counts as a living thing, so when they look at a “suffering equation,” the mother’s feelings are taken into account, but the fetus’ aren’t. Both sides think their own “ought” logically follows from the observable “is.” If we don’t recognize that there is a bucket issue happening, then we continue to argue past each other without understanding the actual sticking point. In the context of objective morality or development of AI, the question of what principles guide the “oughts” is of utmost importance. We can’t answer the question by ignoring that it is a question.
I haven’t finished reading the comments here, so it’s possible my mind will be changed.
I actually see the difference between these two arguments (represented by Sam Harris and Hume) as being a buckets issue. Sam Harris puts “ought” in the same bucket as “is.” In most cases, the thing that causes harm or joy is relatively obvious, so there is no problem with having “ought” and “is” in the same bucket. The problem with having things in the same bucket in general is that we tend to forget that the bucket exists, and think the two concepts are always inherently linked. I think Sam Harris’ view is a valid one, especially on an intuitive and emotional level. However, I think there is still an important distinction to made here and that arguing between these two points of view is still valid.
What principles guide the “oughts?” Let’s look at abortion. People on one side say that ending life is obviously causing suffering by depriving a living thing of the rest of its life. People on the other side don’t disagree with that principle, but they disagree that a fetus counts as a living thing, so when they look at a “suffering equation,” the mother’s feelings are taken into account, but the fetus’ aren’t. Both sides think their own “ought” logically follows from the observable “is.” If we don’t recognize that there is a bucket issue happening, then we continue to argue past each other without understanding the actual sticking point. In the context of objective morality or development of AI, the question of what principles guide the “oughts” is of utmost importance. We can’t answer the question by ignoring that it is a question.