The “moral landscape“ is oft referenced by Sam Harris in podcast conversations. I’m going to guess that I have a rudimentary understanding of what he means by the concept. If so, then it reminds me of a chart of a cosmological fitness landscape that Lee Smolin featured in his book, “The Life of the Cosmos,” page 99. I suspect it’s unlikely that Mr. Harris ever checks into the forum, but if so, he ... and readers ... may be interested to see what appears to be a similar concept or metaphor in another space, so to speak.

I heard that Sam actually stole this idea from a poem:

In the Valley

I’m having a rough time with it again.
It’s like mountains and valleys.
If I’m feeling great
I can make it to the top of a mountain.
But right now I’m down in the valley.
And looking at the next mountain,
I don’t want to climb it,
Because I know that beyond it there lie
More valleys.
So I may just stay here.
—Shae Nicole Jun 2014

Regards,
Dave.