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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2061890 No.2061890 [Reply] [Original]

/sci/,
can science tell us right from wrong?
Moreover, can science tell us if right or wrong is absolute, relative or none existent?

btw, not an engineer or troll, just wondering if this topic is legitimate.

>> No.2061906

No it cannot. It can only tell what fits best with our observations.

>> No.2061907

No, science cares not about the why.

Science can only answer the how.

>> No.2061921

>>2061907
But it can only answer the how to a point. There must always be a how further than what science can answer.

>> No.2061929

It depends how you define "right" and "wrong".
It can give us the facts, and thats enough for most people to decide moral decisions, however right and wrong is up to individuals judgment.

>> No.2061960

>>2061907

I often see that.

So what exactly is the 'why', that a system capable of removing errors in our endeavors, is incapable of working towards?

Further, working under the impression that science is incapable of understanding 'why', then what is?

>> No.2062086

>>2061960
Science deals with natural, not human, laws.
"Why" is a human invention and outside the realm of science.

>> No.2062096

>>2062086
Are humans not part of nature?

>> No.2062118

Science will eventually define morality in scientific terms and show exactly why someone holds a particular belief or preference. We're still a ways off from mastering the human mind and genetic code, but we'll get there eventually.

>> No.2062129

>>2062096
No and neither are animals.

This is why biology sucks, when it gets to a large enough scale it breaks down into an over sized who's who of species and parts.

>> No.2062148
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2062148

>>2062129

>> No.2062153

>>2062129

What? How does this make sense?

>> No.2062163

>>2062148
The study of anything bigger then proteins might as well be called psychology.

>> No.2062706
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2062706

>>2062163

>> No.2062821

Science can tell us right from wrong but NOT in absolute terms.

Rather, science can tell us why some things are considered right and others wrong, and it is perfectly natural.

Right is only defined relative to our species and is a product of evolution. Think of any action, by itself it is neither "right" or "wrong", say killing random people on a whim, this is neither right nor wrong on a universal scale. HOWEVER, any species that engages in such a behavior will surely not last long, so evolution selects for those who have a desire to NOT go on killing sprees.

Therefore, killing becomes "wrong" to us.
When you think about it that way it becomes obvious that this is the most logical explanation and it requires no divine rule books.

>> No.2062879

>>2062821
>personal bullshit conjecture.
There are no such concepts in science.