Since I was in high school, I wanted to leave the world better off than it would have been. I went through 12 years of college stu..
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The Relevance of Studying Environmental Influence on Moral Judgments
Published on 2010-08-23 22:23:00
Imagine that I present the following research proposal. I am going to bring in people off of the street and pay them some small amount of money to participate in an experiment. In this experiment, I am going to show them pictures of planets and asteroids and ask them, "What is the average surface temperature of that object?" And I am going to record their answers. What makes this project interesting is that I am going to vary the temperature in the room, or the background music, or introduce
Responsible Name-Calling
Published on 2010-08-20 20:31:00
I have written in recent posts that some form of condemnation is legitimate. Somebody who makes harsh derogatory comments about the behavior of another is not necessarily "being a dick." A lot of harsh and derogatory comments do not meet this standard, however. Some are bigoted or prejudicial. Others are meanness just for the sake of being mean. Legitimate condemnation contains the following: (1) The accuser begins with the assumption that the accused is innocent and that it is his obligation
Phil Plait: The Question Not Asked
Published on 2010-08-20 07:32:00
A couple of posts ago, I suggested that Phil Plait, in his "Don't Be a Dick" speech, asked the wrong question for understanding the role of insult and condemnation. (See: Phil Plait's "Don't Be a Dick" Speech) The question that Phil Plait asked was, ""How many of you lost your faith because somebody called you an idiot?" He then went on to discuss the relevance of insult and condemnation when the object of criticism is a belief. In this, what he wrote was true and accurate. I thought I should
