Science of morality
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The science of morality describes the theory that morality can be prescribed scientifically, as well as possible scientific methodologies that might be involved. The theory is promoted by Sam Harris in his book The Moral Landscape and in related lectures in which Harris asserted that "morality should be considered an undeveloped branch of science" discerning what humans ought to do by looking at what is.
The term "science of morality" is also sometimes used to describe the emergence of moral systems in different species. For a description of how moral intuitions have evolved in humans and other animals, see Moral psychology and the Evolution of morality.
A fact-value distinction has been traditionally used to argue that the scientific method cannot address "moral" questions beyond describing the norms of different civilizations. In contrast, some philosophers and scientists like John Dewey (and supporters of ethical naturalism, positivism, secular ethics in general, or scientism) have argued that the line between values and scientific facts is arbitrary and illusory; they suggest that the subject of morality can be re-conceptualized as a young or "budding" science spanning various fields to provide instructions for organizing society. In time, an emerging discipline of the science of morality could expand the demarcation of science along the same lines as the psychology of happiness. There are many methodological issues for a science of morality to address.
Other relevant domains
- Biology
Evolutionary biology, The Evolution of Cooperation, Evolutionary ethics, Evolution of morality
- Economics
Pareto efficiency, Welfare economics
- Law
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Psychology
See also
- Ethical calculus
- Evolutionary ethics
- Felicific calculus
- Kohlberg's stages of moral development
- Meta-ethics
- Moral scepticism
- Pareto efficiency
- The Science of Good and Evil, a book by Michael Shermer
- Scientism
- Sociobiology
- Social Darwinism
- Value (personal and cultural)
- Welfare economics
