The Dissenter

#1117 Stephen Morris - Moral Damages: The Case for Abolishing Morality

Jun 30, 2025
Guest
Stephen Morris
In this conversation, Stephen Morris, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at The College of Staten Island, dives into his provocative book, "Moral Damages: The Case for Abolishing Morality." He challenges the idea of objective moral truths and discusses moral abolitionism as a remedy for the harmful fallout of traditional morality. Morris explains how morality can justify violence, influence politics negatively, and affect personal well-being. He argues for non-moral resources in fostering cooperation and examines alternatives to moral frameworks that might promote happiness and societal stability.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Common Morality Features

  • Most people conceive morality as objective and obligatory, tied closely to blame and retributive justice.
  • Morality involves the belief that bad actions deserve punishment intrinsically, not just for deterrence.
INSIGHT

Moral Abolitionism Explained

  • Moral abolitionism seeks to eliminate morality from language and society due to its harms and falsehood.
  • Morality often lacks real moral facts and causes more societal harm than good, making abolition pragmatic.
INSIGHT

Morality as Evolutionary Adaptation

  • Morality evolved as an adaptation aiding cooperation in small groups, similar to how the sickle cell trait evolved for malaria resistance.
  • Like sickle cell traits becoming maladaptive, morality is now often maladaptive in modern societies.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app