--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should reserve the notion of…" description: "\"We should reserve the notion of 'morality' for the ways in which we can affect one another's experience for better or worse. Some people use the term '..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/sam-harris-457_affect_we-should-reserve-the-notion-of-morality_910296.jpg" --- # We should reserve the notion of 'morality' for the ways in… ![“We should reserve the notion of 'morality' for the ways in which we can affect one another's experience for better or worse. Some people use the term 'morality' differently, of course, but I think we have a scientific responsibility to focus the conversation so as to make it most useful.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/sam-harris-457_affect_we-should-reserve-the-notion-of-morality_910296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/sam-harris-457_affect_we-should-reserve-the-notion-of-morality_910296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0f/sam-harris-457_affect_we-should-reserve-the-notion-of-morality_910296.jpg) > “We should reserve the notion of 'morality' for the ways in which we can affect one another's experience for better or worse. Some people use the term 'morality' differently, of course, but I think we have a scientific responsibility to focus the conversation so as to make it most useful.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates reserving “morality” for measurable impacts on human experience, urging a scientific approach to ethical discussions. **In simple terms:** Use scientific basis for moral judgments. Key Takeaway Focus ethics on measurable effects. Themes ethics science human welfare Mood analytical inquisitive Type informative philosophical When to use this quote - policy design - healthcare decisions - technology ethics Key Concepts utilitarianism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can we quantify well‑being? - What limits does science have in morality? A Different Perspective Scientific metrics may miss cultural nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific/) ## Related quotes > [“The fact that millions of people use the term "morality" as a synonym for religious dogmatism, racism, sexism, or other failures of insight and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-millions-of-people-use-the-term-morality-as-a-synonym/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Worship is the highest moral act a human can perform, so the only basis and motivation for it that many people can conceive is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/worship-is-the-highest-moral-act-a-human-can-perform-so-the-only/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“It was Daisuke's conviction that all morality traced its origins to social realities. 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