Adrian, (01)
Or perhaps it still belongs here is we consider aesthetic judgments are like
moral judgment. In Moral Minds Marc Hauser argues that all human beings
possess the same inborn moral faculty that generates our basic moral decisions
and actions. The basis of moral reasoning is analogous to what Chomsky proposes
for our language faculty - it generates the full range of human languages. (02)
Here is a summary in Hauser's words, put together from the "Prologue" and
"Epilogue". (03)
"The central idea of this book is simple: we evolved a moral instinct, a
capacity that natural grows within each child, designed to generate rapid
judgments about what is morally right or wrong based on an unconscious grammar
of action. Part of this machinery was designed by the blind hand of Darwinian
selection millions of years before our species evolved; other parts were added
or upgraded over the evolutionary history of our species, and are unique to
humans and to our moral psychology. These ideas draw on insights from another
instinct: language. (P. xviii.) (04)
"Our expressed languages differ, but we generate each one on the basis of a
universal set of principles. Our artistic expressions vary wildly, but the
biology that underpins our aesthetics generates universal preferences for
symmetry in the visual arts and consonance in music. The idea I have ... is
that we should think of morality in the same way. Underlying the extensive
cross-cultural variation we observe in our expressed social norms is a
universal moral grammar that enables each child to grow a narrow range of
possible moral systems. When we judge an action as morally right or wrong, we
do so instinctively, tapping a system of unconsciously operative and
inaccessible moral knowledge." (Pp. 419-420.) (05)
And so perhaps we tap some roots that interact with experience to give us some
appealing ontological concepts too. (06)
Gary Berg-Cross (07)
________________________________ (08)
From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Adrian Walker
Sent: Fri 5/4/2007 6:25 PM
To: [ontolog-forum]
Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] {Disarmed} Reality and Truth (09)
John et al --- (010)
Perhaps this discussion should move to another list before it gives ontological
research a wackier reputation than it deserves? (011)
Cheers, -- Adrian (012)
Internet Business Logic (R)
A Wiki for Executable Open Vocabulary English
Online at www.reengineeringllc.com <http://www.reengineeringllc.com/>
Shared use is free (013)
Adrian Walker
Reengineering (014)
On 5/4/07, John F. Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: (015)
Chris, (016)
Ethics is ultimately based on aesthetics: (017)
> Yeah, yeah, but I'll bet we all agree that it's a bad idea,
> e.g., to stick pins in babies just to here them scream. (018)
Of course, because it is aesthetically intolerable. (019)
> If we go down the relativist sink hole you seem to be defending
> we'll end up with no grounds for, say, fighting terrorism beyond
> our own survival. (020)
No. God is watching all the alternatives. And at the last judgment,
he punishes those with bad taste. Blowing people up just to get
72 virgins is yucky. (021)
John (022)
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