Shermer And Prinze Argument

Eylul Icgoren

21601232

005

Essay no 2

29.11.16

Morality is to understand whether a behavior or an event is good or evil. Morals prevent chaos in societies and make them survive. Bloom, Shermer and Prinze analyze how morals shape and what are they based on. They tell that it is possible in two ways, which are emotions and reasoning. Shermer and Prinze consider the role of emotions as base of morals, however Bloom considers that morals are based on reasoning. Even though Bloom gives reasonable arguments about morals based on reasoning, morals actually based on emotions like Shermer and Prinze say because emotions are more dominant than reasoning. Morals are learned through emotional conditioning. Babies do not have enough developments

Reasoning can be part of evolving of morals but thoughts of one person don’t affect the other one, if this person didn’t internalize his/her thoughts before. “Reason is always slave to the passions.” (Prinze; Bloom 490) Reasoning remains weak and doesn’t affect the moral values without emotions. Reasoning only tells about the facts about emotions tells how they should be.

Although Bloom states that emotions can’t explain that evolving of morals by their own, he is wrong. Because actually reasoning can’t explain how morals evolve by it’s own. Prinze argues, “reason alone cannot tell us which values adopt, nor can it instill new values.” (“Morality”) Basically, emotions are also needed if reasoning will mean something. Feeling about a behavior is also evolved. Psychology of morality is feeling moral or immoral. It tells that doing good and doing bad based on feelings, which are the feeling of doing bad and the feeling of doing good. (Shermer

Deciding whether something is good or bad is an emotional response. Prinze says, “psychologist James Blair has shown that psychopaths treat moral rules as mere conventions. This suggests that emotions are necessary for making moral judgments.” (“Morality”) People can decide whether something is wrong or not even if nobody gets hurt. Prinze gave two examples of research one is done by himself and one is done by Jonathan Haidt to show even if there is no evidence that someone got hurt, people can make judgments and say that it is wrong just by using their feelings. (“Morality”) Feelings trigger actions, which generally means that there are usually moral emotions behind moral actions. “We just feel horny and seek out a partner we find attractive.” (Shermer, 56) Emotions of people immediately turn into behaviors before they can reason it effectively that is why morals based on emotions not reasoning. Shermer and Prinze carefully analyzes that moral decisions are primarily based on emotions while Bloom states that its based on reasoning. Shermer and Prinze are correct to state moral decisions are based on emotions because of evolving of morality, dominancy of emotions and emotional conditioning in morality. Emotions lead morals. Without them nobody would be able to understand what is evil or not since they are the basis of