| Also, I should clarify how this fits in which my "absolutism". I believe that societies improve when given the opportunity, through the accumulation of knowledge and its application in easing and ennobling the lives of as many people as can be brought along, given practical limits. As societies improve, their morals improve, both as a reflection of the values that underwrite a successful society, and through actual insight gained in the course of philosophical reflection on ethics. In both ways, there is moral progress, or greater moral objectivity (assuming that one approaches an optimum goal for society, and therefore that there are values which are the final word, or nearly so). Thus, some "value systems" are superior to others, namely, those associated with societies which make life for most people more humane and productive. Now, let me be clear: we must do our best to understand that social change is not easy, and that the values of a given society are integral to its cohesion, and cannot be easily flouted. Therefore, we must have respect for the multiplicity of views we encounter, in order to respect individuals and to not unnecessarily provoke backlash. However, it is desirable, for the ultimate good of the planet, that there be a move towards modernization and the liberal civilization of which we are a part, with all deliberate speed, and so we should not get overly sentimental about picturesque cultures or cultural equivalence......... |
