Re: Why Objective Values Exist

From: <marc.geddes.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:38:29 -0700

On Aug 19, 11:17 pm, "Giu1i0 Pri5c0" <pgp....domain.name.hidden> wrote:
 Question: why do you _want_
> to think that there are objective values?
> G.

Here's my answer:

I want to to think that there are objective values because I dislike
the idea that important aspects of our (human) existence are
inexplicable. And make no mistake, without objective values, aspects
of the human condition *would* be simply inexplicable. Here's the
argument, by analogy with physics:

*Consider a physical object in state A.
*Consider the transition of that object to state B.

Question: What explains why the object transitioned from state A to
state B?

Assumption: The transition must be explicable.

Conclusion: There exists objective physical laws which explain why
there was a transition from state A to state B.

--
Now consider sentient agent motivations (and remember the analogy with
the physics argument I gave above).
*Consider an agent with a set of motivations A
*Consider the transition of that agent to a different set of
motivations B (ie the agent changes its mind about something)
Question:  Why did agent A transition from motivation set A to
motivation set B?
Assumption:  The transition must be explicable
Conclusion:  There must exist objective 'laws of value' which explain
why there was a transition from state A to state B.
And that argument (greatly fleshed out of course) basically proves
that that such objective principles exist, given only the assumption
that reality is explicable.
As I explained, I don't regard ethical rules or goals *per se* as
objective.  They are human constructs.  But at a deeper level of
abstraction, there have to be general principles which explain such
things as values.
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Received on Sun Aug 19 2007 - 19:38:46 PDT