Qabasat

Qabasat

Study of Sam Harris's point of view on science based morality

Document Type : Original Article

Author
morteza faghihi fazel
PhD graduate, Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute. Qom. Iran.
10.22034/qabasat.2025.721577
Abstract
In relation to the connection between science and morality, Sam Harris, as one of the leaders of New Atheism, believes in the idea of "science based morality ". He starts off by refuting the subjectivity and non-realism of morality - as proposed by moral relativists - by providing evidence from intuitive experiences and perceptions that are commonplace amongst most humans. Then, he goes on to furnish a new definition for ethics and morality in accordance to his physicalist standpoint. He emphasizes upon "well-being" and "consciousness" and what he believes to be an inseperable connection between the two. This, provides the grounds for a brain centric view of ethics and morality since he believes that consciousness exclusively resides in the physical brain. For Harris, this viewpoint not only provides an alternate basis for moral realism but also gives science the exclusive right to be the only valid source of research in the field of ethics and morality, because only science, and particularly neuroscience, enjoy the academic authority to study and speak about the physical brain and its functions. Harris concludes that it is necessary to establish ethics and morality upon scientific foundations. However, his theory faces several problems which include its incompatibility with intuitive experience, its culmination in moral relativism and determinism, and the fact that it is based on physicalism which is an incorrect standpoint. The project of creating a scientific foundation for morality is a utopian dream that neither Harris not anyone else will ever be able to achieve.
Keywords
New Atheism
Sam Harris
Science
science based morality
consciousness
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