The minimalist future of ethics
Is ethics a science? Can there be progress in ethics similar to the progress we observe in science?
In this brief article it is argued that traditional approaches to ethics are lacking. A minimalist “economic” approach, as suggested in the writings of the (Hobbesian) contractarian philosopher David Gauthier, is presented. It concludes by discussing the limits of evolutionary accounts of ethics and the effects of technical progress on human nature, rationality and morals.
This article was originally submitted to Alcor’s Cryonics Magazine in 2006, but not published, in its issue on ethics.
Read: Sophistry and Illusion: Can Economic Man Resurrect Ethics?
