Ciaran Chat

Ciaran: reggie

Preston: whats up

Ciaran: if we can't bridge the is/ought gap, aren't we just a bunch of impotent pseudo-intellectuals poking holes in other theories but adding nothing of real importance

Preston: no

Ciaran: how not

Preston: if we can't prove that god exists, aren't we just a bunch of impotent pseudo-intellectuals poking holes in other theories but adding nothing of real importance?

Ciaran: i find myself increasingly unable to back up my views and preferences with logic or facts, and when i can come up with a decent reason to do anything other than 'i think this theory is good'

Preston: that problem would not be solved by attempting to bridge the is/ought gap

Ciaran: isn't politics entirely based around the question 'what should we do?'
Ciaran: and ethics, for that matter
Ciaran: politics is just applied ethics w/ guns
Ciaran: entirely based on ought sttements

Preston: no that would be incorrect

Ciaran: how

Preston: so is your concern with politics or ethics? and if politics, then what exactly do you mean?

Ciaran: ethics
Ciaran: i think it's bullshit

Preston: it is bullshit

Ciaran: i think it's a form of lazy arguing

Preston: I would agree

Ciaran: ethics/morality, etc is literally 'just fucking do this, BECAUSE'
Ciaran: i made this point in one of my seminars and everyone just gave me a blank stare

Preston: seminars?

Ciaran: inb4 proud nihilist stands up in classroom copypasta
Ciaran: seminar, yeah
Ciaran: like
Ciaran: im at uni, we meet once a week in small groups to discuss the material, we're guided by a phd student

Preston: ok
Preston: well ethics and morality are based on sand

Ciaran: wat

Preston: they are predicated on moral obligation, which has no foundation

Ciaran: yeah but
Ciaran: people don't see that
Ciaran: >muh working class
Ciaran: >muh god
Ciaran: >muh nation
Ciaran: etc

Preston: yep
Preston: so you have to fix them

Ciaran: that's a prescriptive claim
Ciaran: it implies they're broken, or not functioning as they 'should' be
Ciaran: how can we claim that we know how people ought t be?

Preston: I'm not prescribing anything to you, you are prescribing this to yourself

Ciaran: >you have to fix them

Preston: 	"they are predicated on moral obligation, which has no foundation"
		"yeah but people don't see that"
		I assumed you are unsatisfied with how other people see morality

Ciaran: but who am i to change how they see it
Ciaran: brb

Preston: All I'm doing is pointing out what means you'll need to apply to the end you said you wanted
Preston: now, if you don't want them to have a different opinion of morality, then by all means let them be
Preston: I'm not prescribing anything at all to anyone
Preston: I'm simply describing what course of action is necessary to reach a desired end, in this case, the end that you specifically desire implied by your statement
Preston: now I could be wrong about what you want, in which case, my advice doesn't apply
Preston: also just to point out "but who am i to change how they see it" is a question for yourself, not for me
Preston: if your most valued ends can be furthered by changing 'how they see it' then you have your answer