My hope in the following writings is to establish a practical, actionable moral framework based in logic and science that is applicable to present modern life. As our society advances through time, so too should our common moral set. Two books I’ve been reading on related topics are:
Much of my writings here will be paraphrases and personal conclusions from having read these books. In The Science of Morality, Daleiden takes an interdisciplinary approach to morality, using learnings from philosophy, psychology, neurology, physics, sociobiology, sociology, and economics to outline a set of hypotheses for how moral behavior is determined. He then applies this framework to many modern issues we face today, such as abortion, drug use, pornography, and the distribution of economic goods. In Weapons of Math Destruction, O’Neil uses her background in mathematical models, data, and algorithms to reveal how Big Data and the models being used in decision making at scale today are unregulated, incontestable, and perhaps even immoral. By referencing these two viewpoints, I hope to bridge my own interests into framework for ethical governing, ethical technology, and a personally moral life.
– JPR