2012-08-04
19 分钟This is bioethics bytes with me, David.
Edmonds, and me, Nigel Warburton.
Bioethics Bytes is made in association with Oxford's Uhiro Centre for Practical Ethics and made possible by grant from the Wellcome Trust.
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What can science tell us about morality?
Many philosophers would say nothing at all.
Facts don't imply values, they say.
You need further argument to move from facts about us and about the world to conclusions about what we ought to do.
For example, most humans are altruistic.
They genuinely care about the well being of friends and family and to a lesser extent even of strangers.
They'll give money to charity to help people they've never even met.
Suppose science gives us a compelling scientific explanation for why we're altruistic.
Does that tell us whether we should be altruistic?
Professor Pat Churchland is a well known neuroscientist based at the University of San Diego who works at the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy.
Pat Churchland, welcome to bioethics bites.
Thanks so much, Nigel.
It's a pleasure to be here.
The topic we're going to focus on is what neuroscience can tell us about morality.
I wonder if we could just begin by sketching your view of the neural basis of morality.