Message from @Airman Zeno
Discord ID: 693304111009103883
What
well you said the value exists in the results, but what predictions does philosophy allow us to make?
or are you arguing that ethics, when applied to a society, can improve it?
because that's true of many different contradictory ethical frameworks
You can predict the results of a philosophical system on a society based off of how well it conforms to natural moral law
All successful human societies have lived by some form or another of NML
How do you determine natural moral law?
Easy
1. Self preservation
2. Have children
3. Educate children
4. Maintain functional society
5. Worship God
All societies throughout history have done thise things
how do we arrive at these 5 points?
Short answer, Aquinas
how did Thomas Aquinas
yes how does he arrive at these 5 ways?
or wait
Give me a sec to switch to computer
these aren't the five ways
Aquinas arrived at NML by finding what individual threads ran consistent throughout societies
You cannot have a functional society without all 5 of those things
?
these haven't existed in all societies
unless by worshipping God you mean worshipping literally any God or gods
Your society cannot continue to exist if it does not require its members to self preserve
wait before you start
(yeah thats what i mean, any religious practice counts)
all of these are basically tautology except the last one
societies have been functional societies isn't really much of a claim
Your society cannot continue to exist if its members do not have children, and educate them in what it means to be a part of that society
and this really then boils down to a descriptive claim, not a perscriptive one.
it functionally IS a tautology but that doesnt make it meaningless
Let me think
but why should this inform morality in any meaningful way?
It is right to stay alive
It is right to have children
these don't demonstrate that
It is right to educate children
all these say are "people have stayed alive, had children, etc."
there's no argument for why these should be continued
only that they have been trends
consider what would happen if your society fails to do those things then