Author and ethicist believes Katie Hopkins' infamous TV rant can teach us the importance of ‘evidence based ethics’
(PRWEB UK) 9 July 2013 -- Ethicist and author, Robert Johnson says, “Hopkins’ 'rant' didn’t come out of nowhere; it might be nonsense, but it’s not completely random. This kind of viewpoint is a classic stereotype, of which all of our beliefs suffer. The human mind is wired to find patterns, even if there are none, so even weak correlations (like that between the name of a child and the ability of that child to befriend and make your own child less successful) might lead us to believe there are patterns to be found when there are not.”
There is nothing revolutionary about Johnson's explanation. Hopkins views, he says "are the same kind of bias which we all hold at some point" but the lessons that Johnson thinks we should learn is more original: "we should make decisions and hold views using ‘evidence based’ ethics."
We have heard a lot of advocacy of ‘evidence based’ endeavours recently, most popularly the Guardian journalist and author of 'Bad Science' Ben Goldacre’s campaigns to make healthcare and education the types of areas by which we follow evidence.
However Johnson’s claim is an altogether more radical one. He believes our moral views themselves need to become evidence based.
“If we do not value opinions that are explicitly objective - which is another way of saying ‘properly thought through’,” Johnson explains, “then we end up believing things that are not likely to be true. In this case, and in many others, this can lead us to act in an irrational and prejudiced way towards other people. This is important not just because Hopkins’ children, and her followers within the audience, will likely grow to be prejudiced, but also because it perpetuates the idea that moral discussion is about personal opinions and thus makes it devoid of evidence and reasons in favour of badly thought through gibberish.”
Johnson goes on: “With the Hopkins example we can see that a ‘relative to each person’ form of morality, even when just one parent believes it, can lead them to discriminate against others and teach a new generation of youngsters to carry on her irrational opinions.”
This leaves much for us to ponder. The backlash to Hopkins' comments has been severe and yet Johnson argues that the criticism of Hopkins may be just as bad if it too is coming from a place of subjective and unexamined moral opinion. How would Johnson sum up this problem? “The way towards an ever increasing moral progress in society is not through personal opinion, it is through evidence based moral views.”
‘Rational Morality – a science of right and wrong’ (ISBN 1908675179) is available now as a paperback and Kindle ebook.
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NOTES FOR JOURNALISTS
(1) Holly Willoughby Loses Her Cool With 'Apprentice' Star Katie Hopkins On 'This Morning' Over Comments Linking Children's Names To Class. Huffington Post UK (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/05/holly-willoughby-this-morning-katie-hopkins-video_n_3548849.html)
(2) Katy Hopkins: from Apprentice candidate to Rent-a-gob. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jul/05/katie-hopkins-apprentice-candidate-rent-a-gob
ABOUT ROBERT JOHNSON
Robert Johnson is a practical ethicist and philosopher of science, graduated in Philosophy from the University of Aberdeen. He specialises in the intersection of morality and rationality, whilst being a staunch advocate of science and evidence based endeavours. Learn more at http://www.robertjohnson.org.uk
If you would like Robert to provide expert comment for your publication or programme, please contact him directly.
ABOUT RATIONAL MORALITY
- How do we formulate a coherent moral code in a world without religion?
- How can we show natural ideas like 'moral relativism' and 'egoism' to be irrational?
- Moreover, how can we create a genuinely scientific and rational theory of morality which, so far, has evaded academics?
Rational Morality sets out to answer these questions by presenting a new form of ethics for the Brian Cox and Richard Dawkins generation; creating 'moral science' from 'moral philosophy' in the process.
In this passionate, thought-provoking and often radical thesis, Robert Johnson presents both a refreshing theory of morality based on science and a guide to the practical consequences of what a truly rational concept of morality involves. Exploring rationality, atheism, animal ethics, determinism and politics in the modern world, Johnson uncovers some surprising and original arguments in each area.
Robert Johnson, Dangerous Little Books, http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com, 07814 215 893, [email protected]
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