What do we mean when we say that something -- say, murder -- is "morally wrong"? While we will not limit our discussion to murder, the following questions encourage an exercise in thought:

Is "Murder is wrong" an empirical claim about the world? If so, how could we ever test it?

Is saying "murder is wrong" synonymous with saying "Murder makes people unhappy"? If that's the case, then how do we account for the fact that the statement "Murder is wrong" seems to be implying not just that murder makes people unhappy, but that there is necessarily something *bad* about making people unhappy?

If "murder is wrong" does not equate to "murder makes people unhappy", what are the differences between the two claims?

Does "Murder is wrong", a descriptive statement, translate into the prescription, "Don't murder!"? Or perhaps it's it an emotional reaction, meaning essentially "Boo murder!"

How could "Don't murder!" or "Boo murder!" ever be said to be true or false?

To stimulate discussion and to offer a common grounding, we have compiled the following readings. These are not required but they are encouraged in order to facilitate discussion. We look forward to seeing you there!

Readings:
http://plato.stanford...
http://en.wikipedia.o...
http://www.utilitaria...

This discussion will be facilitated by co-host of the New York City Skeptic's Rationally Speaking podcast, Julia Galef.

Discussion will be held at:

Salam Restaurant
104 west 13 street
(B/w 6th and 7th ave)
New York, NY 10011
[masked]

Trains Include: 14th st stops on the F,L, and V; also 1, 2, 3.