Why rational self-interest cannot be the sole basis of a society

I recommend a thread that began yesterday and expanded today but that readers may have skipped because it is barely noticeable on the main page: “Why the rationalist argument for morality is insufficient.” it. The issue is this: various kinds of secular conservatives, whether HBD’ers or secular Aristotelians or “secular rightists,” maintain that rational self-interest and scientific reason tell us enough about the good to enable us to form and maintain a good society. But, I (and others) argue, this is not correct. Without an absolute good and a shared belief in an absolute good, a sustained society is impossible.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 28, 2009 07:53 PM | Send