“It is true (independently of our conceptualisation) that it is wrong to inflict pain on a sentient creature for no reason (she doesn't deserve it, I haven't promised to do it, it is not helpful to this creature or to anyone else if I do it, and so forth). But if this is a truth, existing independently of our conceptualisation, then at least one moral fact (this one) exists and moral realism is true. We have to accept this, I submit, unless we can find strong reasons to think otherwise.” IfsThinkingReasonFactsPainStrongAcceptingMoralHavensCreaturesDeserveNo ReasonHelpfulSubmitRealism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“Are there any good arguments in defence of moral nihilism? I think not.” ThinkingMoralArgumentDefenceNihilism Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“People in different cultures think very differently about abortion. Abortion is not seen as a moral problem for example in Sweden or Russia, but it is seen as a difficult moral problem in China and in the USA.” PeopleThinkingDifferentProblemCultureDifficultMoralExampleChinaRussiaUsaAbortionSwedenDifferent Cultures Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“It is true that it feels very differently to enjoy a good meal, taking part in an interesting conversation, or to think of how successful your children are. Suppose we do all these things at a particular time. How happy are we at the time? We do not need to calculate the value of each such feelings on any singular scale to answer this question. We need not see our happiness at the time as a mathematical function of these items. It is rather that all these experiences, together with many other factors, causally puts us at the time at a certain level of happiness, i.e. in a certain mood.” ThinkingNeedsFeelsChildrenFeelingsTogetherCertainValuesEnjoyAnswersInterestingLevelsSuccessfulParticularConversationFunctionOur ChildrenMoodScalesFactorsMathematicalYour ChildrenMealsItemsGood MealsInteresting Conversation Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“One way of submitting your moral intuitions in relation to some issue to cognitive therapy is to learn more about how people in other cultures think about it.” PeopleThinkingWayCultureMoralIssuesRelationIntuitionOne WayTherapyCognitiveOther CulturesCognitive Therapy Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“I have been brought up in a culture where capital punishment is indeed anathema. I have always thought of myself as a principled opponent to capital punishment. However, when thinking about how the topic is handled in other cultures, in particular the American, Russian and Chinese ones, I have realised that my own tack on the issue was utterly superficial.” ThinkingHas BeensCultureMy OwnIssuesParticularPunishmentChineseOpponentsSuperficialTopicsRealisedCapital PunishmentOther CulturesPrincipledAnathema Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“I want to think that there are better ways of obviating murder than to resort to capital punishment, but I realise that this may be wishful thinking on my part.” ThinkingWayWantMayMurderPunishmentRealisingResortsBetter WaysWishful ThinkingCapital Punishment Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
“It is obvious, I think, that national democracy withers. This has to do with globalisation.” ThinkingDemocracyObviousGlobalisation Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo
