Morality is a religious construct?
- Thread starter S.A.M.
- Start date
No, religion created those concepts to prop up the fear associated with the belief system. Those concepts have little relevance in reality.
"Good" and "bad" as represented by religion has nothing to do with morality, and everything to do with with propagating fear. Accountability has no meaning in that regard, other than being accountable for propagation.
So what?
The standards can be quite simple. Do no harm to others.
Who's Jimmy?
Sam, I have to recant my earlier posts. The problem is that I've never had a puppy right out of the womb! I've always gotten my puppies at about 9-12 weeks old ....so it's entirely possible that the previous owners/breeders actually scolded the puppies before I got them. Sorry about my earlier positive-sounding remarks ...I didn't think about it until later.
Baron Max
Ah, of course, now it makes sense, I was really surprised we had such different experiences.
Come again?
I don't do requests.
For one who does not want harm to befall them, it is an assumption made if all had the same want.
heliocentric
Registered Senior Member
No, the idea that morality is a religious constructs is one of the greatest fallacies in modern ethics.
Morality is based on an ancient emotional response mechanism; which even smaller mammals like mice have.
Certainly religion can be used to coerce people into being moral, but its not the source of morality.
Morality is based on an ancient emotional response mechanism; which even smaller mammals like mice have.
Certainly religion can be used to coerce people into being moral, but its not the source of morality.
Could you expand on this?
heliocentric
Registered Senior Member
Well what i mean is - morality is based in a sort of visceral extra-rational process.
Much as we can understand what makes a good sentence 'good' and a bad sentence 'bad' outside of the linguistic principles we're taught (as people like chomsky have shown).
We also have a generalised sense of what's 'fair' outside of social tradition and coerced conduct (assuming that we listen to our intuitive moral voice that is).
For example - you wont find a culture on earth that doesnt understand the concepts of guilt, shame, or empathy - you'll have localised divergent ideas of where these repsonses are deemed appropriate of course.
But the core intuitive emotional framework that underpins all moral values is always ever-present, continually guiding our outwardly rationalised behaviour.
Much as we can understand what makes a good sentence 'good' and a bad sentence 'bad' outside of the linguistic principles we're taught (as people like chomsky have shown).
We also have a generalised sense of what's 'fair' outside of social tradition and coerced conduct (assuming that we listen to our intuitive moral voice that is).
For example - you wont find a culture on earth that doesnt understand the concepts of guilt, shame, or empathy - you'll have localised divergent ideas of where these repsonses are deemed appropriate of course.
But the core intuitive emotional framework that underpins all moral values is always ever-present, continually guiding our outwardly rationalised behaviour.
Wow, uh yeah. I don't need a book to tell me what is going to offend me or not. No one needs a book to tell them to run away from someone trying to kill them or attack them. No one needs a book to tell them when they feel nice or friendly toward someone or hateful or angry. These are experienced and are a rudimentary basis for the concept of morality. Writing it down does give a frame of reference in sharing points of view or common experience though. I don't need to run to a book to check if something I experienced was something I considered moral or immoral since everyone has an internal built-in compass. One's moral compass is transcribed to paper, the paper didn't write my moral compass unless you are that stupid.
So you think that if one was brought up in the world away from religious influences, (e.g. feral children) they would have the same sense of right and wrong as you do?
Bells
Staff member