On the one hand, it seems like we need a value/goal/desire in order for something to be "good" or "bad." If I want a knife, then a knife is good. If I want a cup, then a knife is bad. On the other hand, why do I want a knife or a cup, or love, money, family, or in general a good life? We don't want it because it's supposedly good, or said to be good. We don't want the prescribed good life. The good life is just "that which we want."
So I claim it's the wanting/valuing that matters most to us -- that is our rock bottom terminal value. Other values (call them terminal or instrumental or a mixture) are not static but dynamic.
So, what the pebblesorters want (supposedly) is correct heaps. What I want is to value my experiences/behavior/etc...so what I see as the correct actions (and even the correct values) are dynamic.
If this is really what the pebblesorters statically want, can they be sentient? Is it possible to have a static terminal value other than valuing itself? If so, what makes it good?
Is a thing good because God wills it so, or does God will it so because it is good? Do we cringe at the thought of stealing from old ladies because it's wrong, or is it wrong because we cringe at the thought?
On the one hand, it seems like we need a value/goal/desire in order for something to be "good" or "bad." If I want a knife, then a knife is good. If I want a cup, then a knife is bad. On the other hand, why do I want a knife or a cup, or love, money, family, or in general a good life? We don't want it because it's supposedly good, or said to be good. We don't want the prescribed good life. The good life is just "that which we want."
So I claim it's the wanting/valuing that matters most to us -- that is our rock bottom terminal value. Other values (call them terminal or instrumental or a mixture) are not static but dynamic.
So, what the pebblesorters want (supposedly) is correct heaps. What I want is to value my experiences/behavior/etc...so what I see as the correct actions (and even the correct values) are dynamic.
If this is really what the pebblesorters statically want, can they be sentient? Is it possible to have a static terminal value other than valuing itself? If so, what makes it good?