Hacker News with Generative AI: Morality

Why Celebrimbor Fell but Boromir Conquered: The Moral Universe of Tolkien (acoup.blog)
This week (and probably next) I want to talk a bit more Tolkien, but in a somewhat different vein from normal. Rather than discussing the historicity of Tolkien’s world or adaptations of it, I want to take a moment to discuss some of the themes of Tolkien’s work, which express themselves in the metaphysical architecture of Arda itself.

Fantasy Literature, Tolkien, Morality, Mythology

29 points by JumpCrisscross 7 days ago | 0 comments

Circling the Good (nybooks.com)
In his new book the eminent philosopher Thomas Nagel asks whether humans are capable of redefining morality itself.

Philosophy, Morality, Books

34 points by Vigier 19 days ago | 1 comments

Sure, whataboutism seems bad, but have you considered other bad things? (2020) (theoutline.com)
The best defense against charges of hypocrisy is to simply not be hypocritical in the first place.

Politics, Rhetoric, Morality

9 points by Tomte 42 days ago | 1 comments

Anomie (wikipedia.org)
In sociology, anomie or anomy (/ˈænəmi/) is a social condition defined by an uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards or guidance for individuals to follow.

Sociology, Social Conditions, Morality

7 points by yamrzou 45 days ago | 1 comments

He who saves his country, violates no law (wikipedia.org)
"He who saves his country, violates no law" (or "He who saves his country does not violate any law") is a purported quotation attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte.[1][2] It is often interpreted as a justification for extraordinary actions in times of national crisis.

History, Politics, Morality, Leadership

10 points by hn_acker 69 days ago | 4 comments

Does Morality Do Us Any Good? (newyorker.com)
Nothing kills your appetite, they say, like discovering how the sausage is made. In the realm of superhero cinema, origin stories explain our protagonist’s driving motivations. But in the realm of faith and values? I stopped believing everything the tabloids said after I went on a school trip to the offices of my local paper. Others have grown disillusioned once they scrutinized the early history of their religion as historians, not as adherents.

Morality, Philosophy, Religion, Ethics, Culture

11 points by vo2maxer 120 days ago | 11 comments

Why are so many Americans acting like a pack of ghouls? (noahpinion.blog)
As David Hume would tell you, all moral statements are technically matters of opinion. I can’t prove to you that murder is bad, no matter how many facts I cite. I can tell you that it leads to a more violent, poorer society, but you can just shrug and say “So what?”. I can argue that murder is maladaptive for the survival of the human species, but you can just shrug and say “So what?”.

Society, Philosophy, Morality

15 points by paulpauper 133 days ago | 9 comments

Firefox Is the Superior Browser (asindu.xyz)
When ever you hear people trying to convince other people to switch to Firefox the reason is usually moral or ideological.

Firefox, Browsers, Morality, Ideology

85 points by max_ 140 days ago | 74 comments

America Got Mean (2023) (theatlantic.com)
In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.

Culture, Society, Politics, Morality

29 points by zdw 146 days ago | 31 comments

Age Verification Laws Are Just a Path Towards Full Ban on Porn, Proponent Admits (techdirt.com)
It’s never about the children. Supporters of age verification laws, book bans, drag show bans, and abortion bans always claim they’re doing these things to protect children. But it’s always just about themselves. They want to impose their morality on other adults. That’s all there is to it.

Politics, Censorship, Online Content, Morality

8 points by coloneltcb 156 days ago | 1 comments

Why shouldn't you give money to homeless people? (spiralprogress.com)
Singer asks if you should save a drowning child. Obviously yes! And what if you were wearing a nice suit which could get ruined in the pond? Does not matter, you still have to jump in.And what if, on your way to work every morning, you pass by a homeless man who is cold, hungry and in need of help? What then?

Ethics, Morality, Social Responsibility

51 points by paulpauper 172 days ago | 163 comments

Seeing Like a Programmer: Resiliency, Limits, and Moral Hazards (chriskrycho.com)
Assumed audience: People interested in how we can make good software. In more than one sense of the phrase “good software”. That means not just software engineers.

Software Engineering, Ethics, Programming, Design, Morality

76 points by todsacerdoti 176 days ago | 43 comments

The illusion of moral decline (2023) (nature.com)
Anecdotal evidence indicates that people believe that morality is declining1,2.

Morality, Social Science, Psychology, Sociology

14 points by therabbithole 196 days ago | 10 comments

Morality and rules: what my daughters learned at Chinese communist school (theguardian.com)

Education, China, Morality, Culture

10 points by beardyw 247 days ago | 3 comments

People's moral values change with the seasons (psych.ubc.ca)

Psychology, Human Behavior, Morality

7 points by gnabgib 260 days ago | 1 comments

Tolerance is not a moral precept (2017) (medium.com)