Michael, here you have authored another outstanding essay. I agree with all your points. I also highly recommend your book The Moral Arc, which I own and have read.
Since no god has ever unambiguously communicated a correct moral code, we are left in the position of inventing one for ourselves. The more we use reason and science for this code, the more we will flourish as a species.
Great to read how a declaration of a person's moral philosophy disintegrated into a pissing contest between two other individuals. Hence my personal reservations about the "Moral Arc." Arcs descend as well as go up.
Given that there is a current oversupply of technical people, why exactly are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are so vital to a modern democratic nation?
Also, the Enlightenment was not an unalloyed success in terms of improving and lengthening people's lives worldwide. Colonialism would have been tougher without muskets and cannons to slaughter the locals. Every discovery has a dark side, including scientific ones. Is the world in general a more peaceful, predictable place because of the use of most products of the nuclear revolution?
Yes, indeed, "Evidence-based reasoning is the hallmark of science today. It embodies the principles of objective data." And, as a scientist and educator, I hope that reliance on data more rapidly infuses education. This might be a good moment to consider the interesting interactions between education, data, and outmoded conceptions of "race"...
"When ‘Black’ & ‘Hispanic’ Students Outscore ‘Asian’ & ‘White’ Students on the ACT, Nobody Notices"
"Thus, one path (among many) to a more moral world is to get people to quit believing in absurdities. Science and reason are the best methods for doing that." How long will it take to tell your readers that viruses do not exist? https://www.thinsia.com/virusmyth-En.pdf
Roland, I am going to stick with the scientific consensus on the subject. You are spreading disinformation and that is unethical.
Michael, here you have authored another outstanding essay. I agree with all your points. I also highly recommend your book The Moral Arc, which I own and have read.
Since no god has ever unambiguously communicated a correct moral code, we are left in the position of inventing one for ourselves. The more we use reason and science for this code, the more we will flourish as a species.
Roland, you are just mistaken. I hope your spreading of disinformation fails.
Great to read how a declaration of a person's moral philosophy disintegrated into a pissing contest between two other individuals. Hence my personal reservations about the "Moral Arc." Arcs descend as well as go up.
Given that there is a current oversupply of technical people, why exactly are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are so vital to a modern democratic nation?
Also, the Enlightenment was not an unalloyed success in terms of improving and lengthening people's lives worldwide. Colonialism would have been tougher without muskets and cannons to slaughter the locals. Every discovery has a dark side, including scientific ones. Is the world in general a more peaceful, predictable place because of the use of most products of the nuclear revolution?
Yes, indeed, "Evidence-based reasoning is the hallmark of science today. It embodies the principles of objective data." And, as a scientist and educator, I hope that reliance on data more rapidly infuses education. This might be a good moment to consider the interesting interactions between education, data, and outmoded conceptions of "race"...
"When ‘Black’ & ‘Hispanic’ Students Outscore ‘Asian’ & ‘White’ Students on the ACT, Nobody Notices"
https://everythingisbiology.substack.com/p/when-black-and-hispanic-students
Thank you for this very thoughtful read, Frederick
"Thus, one path (among many) to a more moral world is to get people to quit believing in absurdities. Science and reason are the best methods for doing that." How long will it take to tell your readers that viruses do not exist? https://www.thinsia.com/virusmyth-En.pdf