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2.16 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
3
Organizations
1
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Article / press clipping
File Size:
2.16 MB
Summary
This document is a page from a House Oversight file (marked HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031909) containing a reprint of a Project Syndicate article titled 'Does Anything Matter?' by philosopher Peter Singer, dated June 13, 2011. The text discusses moral philosophy, specifically the debate between subjective and objective ethics, and highlights the recent publication of Derek Parfit's book 'On What Matters' as a significant event in secular philosophy.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Singer | Author |
Author of the article 'Does Anything Matter?' published in Project Syndicate.
|
| Derek Parfit | Subject |
Philosopher discussed in the article; Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford; author of 'On What Matters' and '...
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Project Syndicate |
The publication platform for the article.
|
|
| All Souls College, Oxford |
Institution where Derek Parfit is an Emeritus Fellow.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the footer stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031909', indicating this document is part of a congressional investigati...
|
Timeline (2 events)
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of All Souls College.
|
Relationships (1)
Singer is writing an article discussing the significance of Parfit's work.
Key Quotes (3)
"Can moral judgments be true or false?"Source
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Quote #1
"Last month, however, saw a major philosophical event: the publication of Derek Parfit’s long-awaited book On What Matters."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031909.jpg
Quote #2
"There is no truth to the matter of whether or not it is wrong for you to hit the child."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031909.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,667 characters)
34
Article 7.
Project Syndicate
Does Anything Matter?
Peter Singer
Project Syndicate
Does Anything Matter?
Peter Singer
2011-06-13 – Can moral judgments be true or false? Or is ethics, at
bottom, a purely subjective matter, for individuals to choose, or
perhaps relative to the culture of the society in which one lives? We
might have just found out the answer.
Among philosophers, the view that moral judgments state objective
truths has been out of fashion since the 1930’s, when logical
positivists asserted that, because there seems to be no way of
verifying the truth of moral judgments, they cannot be anything other
than expressions of our feelings or attitudes. So, for example, when
we say, “You ought not to hit that child,” all we are really doing is
expressing our disapproval of your hitting the child, or encouraging
you to stop hitting the child. There is no truth to the matter of
whether or not it is wrong for you to hit the child.
Although this view of ethics has often been challenged, many of the
objections have come from religious thinkers who appealed to God’s
commands. Such arguments have limited appeal in the largely secular
world of Western philosophy. Other defenses of objective truth in
ethics made no appeal to religion, but could make little headway
against the prevailing philosophical mood.
Last month, however, saw a major philosophical event: the
publication of Derek Parfit’s long-awaited book On What Matters.
Until now, Parfit, who is Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College,
Oxford, had written only one book, Reasons and Persons, which
appeared in 1984, to great acclaim. Parfit’s entirely secular
arguments, and the comprehensive way in which he tackles
bottom, a purely subjective matter, for individuals to choose, or
perhaps relative to the culture of the society in which one lives? We
might have just found out the answer.
Among philosophers, the view that moral judgments state objective
truths has been out of fashion since the 1930’s, when logical
positivists asserted that, because there seems to be no way of
verifying the truth of moral judgments, they cannot be anything other
than expressions of our feelings or attitudes. So, for example, when
we say, “You ought not to hit that child,” all we are really doing is
expressing our disapproval of your hitting the child, or encouraging
you to stop hitting the child. There is no truth to the matter of
whether or not it is wrong for you to hit the child.
Although this view of ethics has often been challenged, many of the
objections have come from religious thinkers who appealed to God’s
commands. Such arguments have limited appeal in the largely secular
world of Western philosophy. Other defenses of objective truth in
ethics made no appeal to religion, but could make little headway
against the prevailing philosophical mood.
Last month, however, saw a major philosophical event: the
publication of Derek Parfit’s long-awaited book On What Matters.
Until now, Parfit, who is Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College,
Oxford, had written only one book, Reasons and Persons, which
appeared in 1984, to great acclaim. Parfit’s entirely secular
arguments, and the comprehensive way in which he tackles
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031909
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