Sam Harris dismantles the most common justification for religious faith--that a moral system cannot be based on science.

Ethics is a complex and multifaceted field that delves into the heart of human behavior, decision-making, and societal norms. As we embark on this journey through a compilation of readings in Ethics for preliminary examination, we are poised to explore a diverse array of topics that encompass the intricate tapestry of moral philosophy and the human experience. These readings will take us on a thought-provoking voyage through the nuances of ethical dilemmas, the construction of moral standards, the foundations of moral acts, cultural relativism, and the fascinating exploration of Filipino moral identity. We will traverse the realms of moral objectivity and development, guided by the belief that a deep understanding of ethics is fundamental to our shared humanity.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I am not suggesting that science can give us an evolutionary or neurobiological account of what people do in the name of morality. I am arguing that science can, in principle, help us understand what we should do and want, and what other people should do and want to live the best lives possible. #2 There is no such thing as moral truth, only moral preference, opinion, and emotional reactions. However, we can understand how human beings think and behave in the name of morality. #3 It is true that moral facts are subjective, but this does not mean that all talk of morality is subjective. I am not denying the necessarily subjective component of the facts under discussion when I say that there are right and wrong answers to moral questions. #4 The idea of moral truth is difficult to discuss because people often use a double standard when thinking about consensus: they consider scientific consensus to mean that scientific truths exist, and they consider scientific controversy to be merely a sign that more work remains to be done.

Debunking A Moral Landscape takes on the ideas of Sam Harris using his own chosen tools -- namely, reason and science. When those tools are turned back on his book, The Moral Landscape, one comes to understand that his perspective is very much like an onion since, after one peels away the various decaying layers of philosophy, reasoning, and science, there is really nothing left at the heart of his worldview. Sam Harris has been raised by many his many followers and admirers to an emperor-like status. Nonetheless, in reality, this would-be emperor has no genuine clothes of royalty since the material from which his conceptual garments are woven are fairly common, if not threadbare. In fact, his ideas are clothed in a way that gives them the appearance of being fashioned in a very sturdy and reliable manner, but such appearances are little more than an illusion. He often claims that his kingdom is ruled through reason and science. Yet, when the topography of his ideas are carefully explored, there are many problems to be found hiding in the nooks and crannies of his thought processes. His reasoning is not always rational; his science is not always factual; and his explanations are often problematic. Furthermore, he asserts that faith is for the naive and foolish, but his perspective is glued together by a variety of different grades of faith -- some of them quite faulty -- which he calls by other names such as: well-being, probability, theory, hypothesis, science, randomness, evolution, neurobiology, reason, and so on. Sam Harris has harsh words for religious extremists -- as well he should. However, he apparently fails to understand how his own position incorporates a brand of irreligious fundamentalism that is inclined to be just as blind and unyielding as the religious people whom he wishes to criticize. Debunking A Moral Landscape doesn't just criticize the perspective which is developed in Sam Harris' latest book, The Moral Landscape, the former book introduces a variety of constructive ideas with respect to moral philosophy, political philosophy, evolution, science, the process of reasoning, and methodology that grows out of the process through which the problems and errors that are present in Sam Harris' The Moral Landscape are corrected and refined.

Sam Harris's first book, The End of Faith, ignited a worldwide debate about the validity of religion. In the aftermath, Harris discovered that most people - from religious fundamentalists to nonbelieving scientists - agree on one point: science has nothing to say on the subject of human values. Indeed, our failure to address questions of meaning and morality through science has now become the primary justification for religious faith. In this highly controversial book, Sam Harris seeks to link morality to the rest of human knowledge. Defining morality in terms of human and animal well-being, Harris argues that science can do more than tell how we are; it can, in principle, tell us how we ought to be. In his view, moral relativism is simply false - and comes at an increasing cost to humanity. And the intrusions of religion into the sphere of human values can be finally repelled: for just as there is no such thing as Christian physics or Muslim algebra, there can be no Christian or Muslim morality. Using his expertise in philosophy and neuroscience, along with his experience on the front lines of our 'culture wars', Harris delivers a game-changing book about the future of science and about the real basis of human cooperation.

"In this collection eighteen scholars offer various readings on British literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Although the period covered ranges from the thirteenth through the seventeenth centuries, the essays are tied together by a common interest in one of three topics: poetic personae, dramatic production, and the influence of social context upon authors or dramatists. Common to these topics is the crucial point of contact between an artist and society that prompts the literary imagination to respond either with the creation of a new character or with the demonstration of change in an old one."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In The Morality Wars, contributors from religious and non-religious backgrounds debate the origin and nature of human goodness. While the subject is often addressed by prominent figures on both sides of the believer/atheist divide on public platforms and social media, participants seldom get the opportunity to explain their viewpoints in depth. In addition to engaging the traditional conflict between science and religious faith over the content and nature of the moral conscience, the contributors also draw on and engage with figures who are often neglected when committed theologians and atheists debate each other, such as Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Jacques Lacan.

THE DICTIONARY OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ‘Even better than before, the Dictionary is an essential tool for all human geographers and over the years has provided an invaluable guide to the changing boundaries and content of the discipline. No-one can afford to be without this fifth edition.’ Linda McDowell, University of Oxford ‘From explanations of core concepts and central debates to lucid discussions of the theories driving contemporary research, this is the best conceptual map to the creative and critical thinking that characterises contemporary human geography. The fifth edition belongs on the bookshelf of all serious students.’ Gerard Toal, Virginia Tech ‘With an exceptional balance between breadth and depth, this is undoubtedly a timely and ground-breaking revision of the Dictionary. An outstanding accomplishment of the editors and contributors, and a comprehensive and essential reference for any student or scholar interested in human geography.’ Mei-Po Kwan, Ohio State University ‘I can’t imagine life without it. Definitive, detailed yet accessible: there’s still no single-volume reference work in the field to rival it.’ Noel Castree, University of Manchester The Dictionary of Human Geography represents the definitive guide to issues and ideas, methods and theories in human geography. Now in its fifth edition, this ground-breaking text has been comprehensively revised to reflect the changing nature and practice of human geography and its rapidly developing connections with other fields. The major entries not only describe the development of concepts, contributions and debates in human geography, but also advance them. Shorter, definitional entries allow quick reference and coverage of the wider subject area. Changes to the fifth edition include entries from many new contributors at the forefront of developments in the field, and over 300 key terms appearing for the first time. It features a new consolidated bibliography along with a detailed index and systematic cross-referencing of headwords. The Dictionary of Human Geography continues to be the one guidebook no student, instructor or researcher in the field can afford to be without.

To what extent are we responsible for our actions? Philosophical theorizing about this question has recently taken a social turn, marking a shift in focus from traditional metaphysical concerns about free will and determinism. Recent theories have attended to the interpersonal dynamics at the heart of moral responsibility practices and the role of the moral environment in scaffolding agency. Yet, the implications of social inequality and the role of social power for our moral responsibility practices remains a surprisingly neglected topic. The conception of agency involved in current approaches to moral responsibility is overly idealized, assuming that our practices involve interactions between equally empowered and situated agents. In twelve new essays and a substantial introduction, this volume systematically challenges this assumption, exploring the impact of social factors such as power relationships and hierarchies, paternalism, socially constructed identities, race, gender and class on moral responsibility. Social factors have bearing on the circumstances in which agents act as well as on the person or people in the position to hold that agent accountable for his or her action. Additionally, social factors bear on the parties who pass judgment on the agent. Leading theorists of moral responsibility, including Michael McKenna, Marina Oshana, and Manuel Vargas, consider the implications of oppression and structural inequality for their respective theories. Neil Levy urges the need to refocus our analyses of the epistemic and control conditions for moral responsibility from individual to socially extended agents. Leading theorists of relational autonomy, including Catriona Mackenzie, Natalie Stoljar and Andrea Westlund develop new insights into the topic of moral responsibility. Other contributors bring debates about moral responsibility into dialogue with recent work in feminist philosophy, social epistemology and social psychology on topics such as epistemic injustice and implicit bias. Collectively, the essays in this volume reorient philosophical debates about moral responsibility in important new directions.

Do you value reason, science, and independent thinking, yet you hope there could be a greater purpose to the universe? Beginning with his own story of losing the belief in any ultimate purpose in life, philosopher Joshua Rasmussen builds a bridge to faith. Using only the instruments of reason and common experience, Rasmussen constructs a pathway that he argues can lead to meaning and, ultimately, a vision of God.