Episode 213: Debunking the New Moral Science

Science can tell us much about the natural world, but can it tell us how to live a good life? In their new book Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality, James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky argue no.

Critiquing what they term the “new moral science,” Hunter and Nedelisky argue that today’s attempts to find a scientific basis for morality are the latest failed effort in a 400-year quest. More than that, the authors argue, today’s variant of the tradition bends toward a form of moral nihilism and social engineering.

James Davison Hunter is the LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory at the University of Virginia; Paul Nedelisky is Junior Fellow at the University’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. This week, both join Richard Aldous on the podcast to discuss their book, which we recently named one of our favorites of 2018. Be sure to tune in!