Except that intuitions about physics derive from observations of physics, whereas intuitions about morality derive from observations of… intuitions.
Intuitions are internalizations of custom, an aspect of which is morality. Our intuitions result from our long practice of observing custom. By “observing custom” I mean of course adhering to custom, abiding by custom. In particular, we observe morality—we adhere to it, we abide by it—and it is from observing morality that we gain our moral intuitions. This is a curious verbal coincidence, that the very same word “observe” applies in both cases even though it means quite different things. That is:
Our physical intuitions are a result of observing physics (in the sense of watching attentively).
Our moral intuitions are a result of observing morality (in the sense of abiding by).
However, discovering physics is not nearly as passive as is suggested by the word “observe”. We conduct experiments. We try things and see what happens. We test the physical world. We kick the rock—and discover that it kicks back. Reality kicks back hard, so it’s a good thing that children are so resilient. An adult that kicked reality as hard as kids kick it would break their bones.
And discovering morality is similarly not quite as I said. It’s not really by observing (abiding by) morality that we discover morality, but by failing to observe (violating) morality that we discover morality. We discover what the limits are by testing the limits. We are continually testing the limits, though we do it subtly. But if you let people walk all over you, before long they will walk all over you, because in their interactions with you they are repeatedly testing the limits, ever so subtly. We push on the limits of what’s allowable, what’s customary, what’s moral, and when we get push-back we retreat—slightly. Customs have to survive this continual testing of their limits. Any custom that fails the constant testing will be quickly violated and then forgotten. So the customs that have survived the constant testing that we put them through, are tough little critters that don’t roll over easily. We kick customs to see whether they kick back. Children kick hard, they violate custom wildly, so it’s a good thing that adults coddle them. An adult that kicked custom as hard as kids kick it would wind up in jail or dead.
Custom is “really” nothing other than other humans kicking back when we kick them. When we kick custom, we’re kicking other humans, and they kick back. Custom is an equilibrium, a kind of general truce, a set of limits on behavior that everyone observes and everyone enforces. Morality is an aspect of this equilibrium. It is, I think, the more serious, important bits of custom, the customary limits on behavior where we kick back really hard, or stab, or shoot, if those limits are violated.
Anyway, even though custom is “really” made out of people, the regularities that we discover in custom are impersonal. One person’s limits are pretty much another person’s limits. So custom, though at root personal, is also impersonal, in the “it’s not personal, it’s just business” sense of the movie mobster. So we discover regularities when we test custom—much as we discover regularities when we test physical reality.
Yes, but we’ve already determined that we don’t disagree—unless you think we still do? I was arguing against observing objective (i.e. externally existing) morality. I suspect that you disagree more with Eugine_Nier.
Intuitions are internalizations of custom, an aspect of which is morality. Our intuitions result from our long practice of observing custom. By “observing custom” I mean of course adhering to custom, abiding by custom. In particular, we observe morality—we adhere to it, we abide by it—and it is from observing morality that we gain our moral intuitions. This is a curious verbal coincidence, that the very same word “observe” applies in both cases even though it means quite different things. That is:
Our physical intuitions are a result of observing physics (in the sense of watching attentively).
Our moral intuitions are a result of observing morality (in the sense of abiding by).
However, discovering physics is not nearly as passive as is suggested by the word “observe”. We conduct experiments. We try things and see what happens. We test the physical world. We kick the rock—and discover that it kicks back. Reality kicks back hard, so it’s a good thing that children are so resilient. An adult that kicked reality as hard as kids kick it would break their bones.
And discovering morality is similarly not quite as I said. It’s not really by observing (abiding by) morality that we discover morality, but by failing to observe (violating) morality that we discover morality. We discover what the limits are by testing the limits. We are continually testing the limits, though we do it subtly. But if you let people walk all over you, before long they will walk all over you, because in their interactions with you they are repeatedly testing the limits, ever so subtly. We push on the limits of what’s allowable, what’s customary, what’s moral, and when we get push-back we retreat—slightly. Customs have to survive this continual testing of their limits. Any custom that fails the constant testing will be quickly violated and then forgotten. So the customs that have survived the constant testing that we put them through, are tough little critters that don’t roll over easily. We kick customs to see whether they kick back. Children kick hard, they violate custom wildly, so it’s a good thing that adults coddle them. An adult that kicked custom as hard as kids kick it would wind up in jail or dead.
Custom is “really” nothing other than other humans kicking back when we kick them. When we kick custom, we’re kicking other humans, and they kick back. Custom is an equilibrium, a kind of general truce, a set of limits on behavior that everyone observes and everyone enforces. Morality is an aspect of this equilibrium. It is, I think, the more serious, important bits of custom, the customary limits on behavior where we kick back really hard, or stab, or shoot, if those limits are violated.
Anyway, even though custom is “really” made out of people, the regularities that we discover in custom are impersonal. One person’s limits are pretty much another person’s limits. So custom, though at root personal, is also impersonal, in the “it’s not personal, it’s just business” sense of the movie mobster. So we discover regularities when we test custom—much as we discover regularities when we test physical reality.
Yes, but we’ve already determined that we don’t disagree—unless you think we still do? I was arguing against observing objective (i.e. externally existing) morality. I suspect that you disagree more with Eugine_Nier.