Morals cannot be explained by science, speaker says

Two professors, one Christian and one atheist, faced off Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a battle over the origin of morals.

Professor Steven Pinker of Harvard University, an atheist, and Professor William Hurlbut of Stanford University, a Christian, lectured to an audience of about 600 on the ways in which morals are defined as part of MIT’s Veritas Forum.

Pinker said that although he is an atheist, he still believes in moral sense. However, he said he believes this is defined on an individual basis.

He also said moral structure is supported by an abundance of evolutionary evidence.

“Darwin’s theory shows that humans have morals,” Pinker said.

Pinker also shared his views on moral responsibility versus free will.

“Moral responsibility . . . runs contrary to any perception of free will as footloose and fancy free,” Pinker said.

Hurlbut, on the other hand, said he believes philosophy and theology explain more about the brain than science does.

“How do we go from chemicals to consciousness?’ Hurlbut said, emphasizing his point that science does not explain everything.

He said he believes the scientific method is limited.

“We can’t use simple observations,” Hurulbut said. “We need to look deeper.”

Hurlbut focused on the necessity of moral values, saying, “Moral values are wrapped up in the very infrastructures of identity. . . life itself.”

He also said the topic was important because of its centrality in human life.

“I think a universal testimony of human culture is that there’s a natural disposition of human beings to seek an explanation of their understanding and source of significance of their lives,” he said.

Coordinator and MIT graduate student Marcus Jibson said the forum’s coordinators wanted to address the scientific issues behind freedom.

“[The] idea was to look at an idea of freedom from a scientific, social and spiritual aspect,” he said. “Freedom is a big concept, one Americans also take for granted.”

Fellow coordinator and MIT graduate student Emily Lo said the Veritas Forum is a tradition.

“The purpose behind Veritas is to hold a dialogue that the university itself isn’t holding, asking the big questions,” Lo said.

Lo said that the Veritas Forum itself is becoming more popular this year and that this particular lecture was one of the most popular so far.

MIT sophomore Jason Poon said he attended the lecture because he is a fan of Pinker.

“I like hearing his perspective,” Poon said. Poon also felt that Hurlbut “wasn’t as prepared [as Pinker].”

MIT freshman Adwoa Boakye said she was drawn in by the topic.

“It is interesting to hear other perspectives and where their beliefs came from,” Boakye said. “I like the question of what is one’s meaning and what is one’s purpose.”