Morality, What Good Is It?

[StrangerInAStrangeLand]

For me there is only one: would you suggest it to your daughter as a lifestyle?

I wouldn't suggest Islam to my daughter as a lifestyle.
I wouldn't suggest any lifestyle to my daughter. (Tho I don't know why you refer to prostitution as a lifestyle.)
I suggest she has the right to do what she wants with consenting adults without being punished or condemned for it.

 

[SnakeLord]

For me there is only one: would you suggest it to your daughter as a lifestyle?

Doubtful considering the real world issues mentioned earlier that go alongside it. The same would be true of any 'high risk' pursuit be it that or motor car racing.

To be honest though, I don't find the question really all that pertinent. I wouldn't suggest coal mining to my daughter either but that isn't an indication that coal mining is immoral. I wouldn't suggest a career in McDonalds either, but that also isn't an indication that serving burgers is immoral. I find the question quite meaningless.

 

[StrangerInAStrangeLand]

No. As others said, theism sometimes adopts certain moral standards, but it doesn't originate them.

There are many forms of theism in which the gods are either immoral or amoral. Take Greek mythology for example, in which the gods were capricious and human-like. They were not regarded as the suppliers of morals.

What gods are not capricious & human-like?

 

[Balerion]

To the original question, since I'm late to this party...due to parties...holiday weekend and all...

Morality has a purpose in society. It is not 100% subjective, though the degrees to which certain fundamental rules are followed, and some of the details, are entirely subjective and dependant on several factors, including the current status quo.

The purpose of morality is to allow humans to live in groups successfully.

 

[StrangerInAStrangeLand]

-=-

Which is the only way most humans can live.

 

[iceaura]

To the OP:

Morality is the basis of civilisation.

I would parse somewhat: morality the basis of tribalization, ethics the basis of civilization.

To separate the conscious and reasoned from the ingrained and reflexive, and to help clarify why morality in politics inevitably goes bad and poisons.

As far as what good it is - it allows groups of people to take advantage of kindness, empathy, mutual help and division of labor, temporary sacrifice, and other very beneficial cooperative strategies that would otherwise founder in cheating. It moves the "game" off of any suboptimal Nash equilibria that would otherwise trap it. And so the form and capacity, as well as the tendency, has been built in by evolution - only a low proportion of the amoral can survive, in competition with the naturally cooperative and reflexively mutually supportive.