A Critique of the Moral Optimism of Sam Harris. Polemical Comments Cover Image

A Critique of the Moral Optimism of Sam Harris. Polemical Comments
A Critique of the Moral Optimism of Sam Harris. Polemical Comments

Author(s): Konrad Szocik
Subject(s): Theology and Religion
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: New Atheism; Morality; Ethics; Values; Conventionalism

Summary/Abstract: Sam Harris, one of the new atheists, believes that science is an authority in moral issues. Science can help us understand what our moral duties are, and what is right and wrong in a moral sense. However, the cultural and historical diversity of human behaviors, especially history of wars and conflicts, suggests that it is difficult to show one, common and universal kind of morality. Here we show that Harris’s moral theory is a particular project which could not be “scientifically” justifiable.

  • Issue Year: 47/2014
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 321-329
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: English