01/05/2025

Suppose a nihilist wants to trigger a nuclear holocaust that will destroy humanity. You try to reason with him. He insists that the human race is not worth preserving, that it should go the way of the dinosaurs, that the universe would be better off if the human race were to vanish. Is it not obvious that there is no way to confront him with scientific evidence that will refute his belief, or with any rational arguments he will find persuasive? In this sense the emotivists are clearly right.

— Martin Gardner, The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener