Richard Taylor: ON THE ORIGIN OF GOOD AND

EVIL Morality is not transcendental, but a

naturalistic reality. It originates in the fact we have desires

and what Taylor calls “felt needs” • We are CONATIVE BEINGS • If there are no desires, there are no

values & no good or evil• Compare with Hobbes? Nietszche?

Plato?

Taylor’s “4 Worlds”

Taylor is presents us with 4 worlds to support his argument that good/bad and good/evil are tied. to our being Conative, or people with “felt needs”.

• He proposes 4 worlds, gradually adding conditions to see what is necessary for good/bad and good/evil to be present in the world.

• He make some claims about rationality that we will want to examine carefully.

World One:

Imagine the world as it is, but without any living thing capable of reacting to the world

• There would be no concept of good/evil

• In fact no difference between a beautiful and a harsh world • Nothing is better or worse – it is

just a world of facts

World Two:

Imagine a world with people like ourselves… rational, intelligent and capable of perception, but these people don’t have needs, purposes or desires. [They are mechanical beings.]

• There would still be no concept of good and evil.

• QUESTION: How is rationality related to purpose? • Is rationality only true/false &

inferences as Taylor seems to suggest?

• Is rationality independent of needs?

World Three:

Add one sentient being. A being for whom “what he finds makes a difference” [definition of sentient”?]

• Now we get the notion of good and evil – but NOT the idea of moral right & wrong.

• Furthermore: Good and Evil are absolute to that person.

• And there is no sense of “moral obligation” [Why not?]

World Four:

Add another sentient being and we get moral right and wrong – Why?

• Because aims and purposes can conflict

• They both can want the same thing • But their aims and purposes can also

coincide [compare with Hobbes]

Right and Wrong are relative to rules

In order to satisfy the needs and fulfill goals for more than one person rules are needed.

• Rules = ways of behaving/”practices”

• The “rational element” is that one choice available avoids an “evil”

• Compare with Hobbes? Nietzsche? Plato?