HEIDI. Valuable Games - Peter Molyneux on good and evil. Morality Denialism (The Moral Landscape) Being outraged is what Sam Harris does best. His angry indignation is what made The End of Faith so captivating, and in that book it was appropriate. Harris was angry about 9/11, and about the crazy religious ideas that were in the minds of the 9/11 terrorists, and about unwillingness to look at religion as a cause of violence, and about other religious ideas that have caused other forms of violence. In The Moral Landscape, he's still outraged. Partly it's the same outrage, at the same things, but in the first chapter he's outraged about something new--morality denialists, as he might call them (considering his outrage). Harris thinks there are a lot of them-- It seems me ... that most educated, secular people (and this includes most scientists, academics, and journalists) believe that there is no such thing as moral truth--only moral preference, moral opinion, and emotional reactions that we mistake for genuine knowledge of right and wrong.
But sure. Problem #2. Good and Evil (The Moral Landscape) More on The Moral Landscape-- Message of chapter 2: don't think morality comes from religion, and don't think morality is relative, but rather think there are moral truths. Most philosophers will find this a respectable but unexciting message, since it's what they already think. The same arguments, with less neuroscience and "style," are made in standard ethics 101 textbooks--e.g. James Rachels and Russ Shafer-Landau (who are both excellent). Right and wrong are real, says Harris, because they are really all about maximizing well-being. But wait: if morality is all about maximizing well-being, then people who think in terms of fairness are not thinking right. Don't think this is fanciful either.
Even the science in Chapter 2 strikes me as being sloppy. So...moving right along to chapter 3... Previously on The Moral Landscape-- Are Liberals Relativists? No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Murder Is the Best Solution. Moral Dilemma. Morality Tropes. Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism. Anti-Hero. Polite Villains Rude Heroes. Heroes. Black And Gray Morality. Grey and Gray Morality. Character Alignment. What Is Evil? Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains. Rousseau Was Right. Redemption Promotion. Redemption Demotion. Insane Forgiveness. Good Is Not Nice. Good Feels Good. Good Is Boring. Above Good and Evil. Evil Tropes. Goodness Tropes. Obviously Evil.