tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post2569352356504457654..comments2024-03-28T05:47:54.177+00:00Comments on Philosophical Disquisitions: Oppy on Moral Arguments (Part 8): The Argument from ConscienceJohn Danaherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761686258507859309noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post-2576073195999678582010-01-30T10:32:16.215+00:002010-01-30T10:32:16.215+00:00Bogdan,
Two points.
First, the specific objecti...Bogdan,<br /><br />Two points. <br /><br />First, the specific objection to P3 is mine, not Oppy's. He only speaks generally about the lack of any intuition or reason to accept it and the possibility of a natural explanation. The natural explanation offered is something I've been cooking up myself. That is why I used "I" in the text. I am going to edit it to make this clearer.<br /><br />Second, your question is not one I have thought about a great deal but I will offer some thoughts on it. As I understand it, an A-theorist thinks there is some crucial metaphysical distinction between past, present and future. In particular, they think the future is less real than the past or present. B-theorists think there is no such metaphysical difference. The past, present and future are more like different spatial locations on a road (indeed, time is just another dimension to the B-theorist).<br /><br />Despite their different metaphysical claims, both A-theorists and B-theorists have similar views on our subjective or existential relationship to time. They both think we relate differently to the past and to the future when making decisions. In particular, they say the past presses-upon the present and that the future is epistemically closed. B-theorists would only argue that there is nothing special about time that make the past and future different. Rather, our unique relationship to time is merely due to the fact that we are embedded in it.<br /><br />Anyway, the argument I make is all about our subjective or existential relationship with time. So I do not think it makes a difference whether one is an A-theorist or a B-theorist. Both would agree that the past ramifies or presses upon the present. And so both should agree that previous moral stances would affect how we react to present actions.John Danaherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761686258507859309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post-20532862099299368102010-01-29T16:03:29.449+00:002010-01-29T16:03:29.449+00:00Does it matter what theory of time one adopts when...Does it matter what theory of time one adopts when it comes to Oppy's objection to P3?Bogdanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15449119709471870254noreply@blogger.com