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Open Discussion - Judging the Past!

Mon, 07 Oct

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Storyhouse

Is it right to assess people and practices of the past against modern day morals?

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Open Discussion - Judging the Past!
Open Discussion - Judging the Past!

Time & Location

07 Oct 2024, 19:00 – 21:00

Storyhouse, Hunter St, Chester CH1 2AR, UK

Guests

About the event

Please join us in the Library meeting room for an open discussion on this topic. 

Some thoughts on the topic are shared below.  

Please note that seating is limited - please RSVP to secure a place. We will be limiting to 14 people. 

Tearing down statues of slave traders, politicians, and generals, removing texts from libraries, ‘de-colonising’ the curriculum, destroying works of art by dead artists who had the ‘wrong’ view or removing art and other symbols which have become offensive. Just some examples of judging people and things from the past by current narratives.

Judging the past by today’s morals is generally defined as ‘presentism’. The OED defines presentism as: “A bias towards the present or present-day attitudes, esp. in the interpretation of history.” (However, it is a slippery concept with several interpretations, and philosophically, ‘presentism’ is the view that only present things exist).

Judging past behaviour against current moral narratives begs the question: do morals change over time? Or, are they unchanging, though interpreted and acted upon in different time periods?

In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Stephen Pinker charts the humanitarian revolution in the decline of cruel punishments, executions, violence and wars over centuries. Why? He argues human nature has not changed though our ‘better angels’ have been more engaged. This may be related to moral development, though a large part is reason –rational arguments drove humanitarian changes. Once these changes become the norm peoples’ attitudes (morals?) change to accept and defend the new status quo. E.g. capital punishment abolition, ban on beating of children, gay marriage.

Some religious historians may contend that morals do not change (as they are laid down by a god?) Stearn, 2023, argues that fundamental moral values do not change with time and culture, and we are no more moral than our ancestors. Moral people, he argues, “in all times and places seek to reduce unnecessary suffering, create order, be fair, and to treat people with respect”.

Questions

1. What are fundamental morals – are there any? If there are can they change over time or are they timeless with different interpretations and means of implementing them?

2. Given thoughts on Q1, should we judge our ancestors’ practices against our current day moral narratives?

3. What is the best way to move forward? - Should some items from the past be replaced/removed?

4. How will our society of today be viewed in 100 years time? What present day items/symbols might future generations want to remove?

References:

A Google search of “Presentism” provides a wide range of views.

Steven Pinker, 2011, The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes Viking Books Summary here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature

Stearn, Paul, “Right and Wrong about Right and Wrong”, Philosophy Now, Issue 156, June 2023 https://philosophynow.org/issues/156/Right_and_Wrong_About_Right_and_Wrong

Videos:

Steven Pinker on Emotion, Reason, and Moral Progress (based on his book ‘Better Angels of our Nature) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgGEKBSOeEY

Bill Maher - New Rule: A Unified Theory of Wokeness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=schuzjknjYE

Douglas Murray view/American perspective/don’t judge people of the past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiTcSgMM06o

The following article develops an interesting variant on the topic. https://aeon.co/essays/what-will-our-descendants-judge-as-our-greatest-sin

Thanks to John C, Richard S @ Greater Manchester Humanists for the links, topic concept and most of the text.

There is no charge for this event though a donation may be requested

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