[extropy-chat] In defense of moral relativism

[Eliezer S. Yudkowsky]

Giu1i0 Pri5c0 wrote:
> 
> Eliezer asks, "How do you rally people to fight for the idea that
> nothing is worth fighting for?". But moral relativism does not say
> that nothing is worth fighting for. It simply acknowledges that "worth
> fighting for" is a value judgment which depends on many factors and
> may vary according to circumstances. You still fight for your ideas,
> but acknowledging that you are fighting for your ideas and not for The
> Truth. Then perhaps you can keep things in perspective and avoid
> committing atrocities in defense of your ideas.
> 
> This is, indeed, the main reason why I don't like the very concepts of
> absolute truth, or objective morality: the "I Am The Champion Of The
> Truth" stance leads to gassing people for thinking different.

That's a complete non-sequitur.  Morality exists within a human mind. 
Reality, as best we can figure out how it works, was around at least 13 
billion years before ever humans showed on the scene.  I'm not sure what 
"absolute truth" is but if you define it in such a way that it equates to 
"external reality" then I'm all for external reality.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://singinst.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence