Basis for morality

[Mr Skeptic]

Because morality is a critical factor in how we live our life and how we choose our laws, it may be useful to get a scientist's opinion on it. Indeed, there are few things more important than how you decide what ought and ought not be done. Also, if you've changed your mind on where you get your morality, it may be interesting to hear about. If you act against your morals, it would also be interesting to know why you might do that.

 

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Oops! Somehow the last part of the poll question got eaten. It should have said:

Where do you get your morality from? That is, how do you decide what ought to be done?

[Realitycheck]

In the "beginning", Man believed in his own God, which conformed to his ideas of what God should mean to him. Some people's gods were more well thought out than other people's gods. Natural selection, along with some survival of the fittest, has defined which Gods have survived and which have fallen by the wayside.

 

Of course, now, for the most part, man is his own God. If one has forgotten his morals, it is most likely due to lack of God (which is understandable), selfishness, apathy, etc. Though a concept of God initially formed my moral order, I don't need God to have morals, but I have to want to be good. Otherwise, it is not honest and falls through eventually.

[1veedo]

More than one answer can apply here.

 

If you want to get right down to it though scientists have shown how our evolutionary history has carved out basic human morals. Doing the right thing many times can be beneficial to the person. Eg altruism. Humans naturally help each other because it's mutually beneficial. I help you one day you help me another day. You dont? Well big deal the risks associated are outwayed by the benefits.

 

Read about game theory for example.

 

 

As for my official answer I'd say Conscience, Self-Interest, Social Norms/Parental Instruction, and throw in some philosophy. I don't really think about it morals are morals. I'm a nice person just cause I like making the world a little happier but morals are just what you do. A code of morals is overrated. Even if someone says they follow the ten commandments or something they'll still be in the same position everyone else is in -- just reacting to situations throughout the day however they happen to see fit.

[bascule]

I believe empathy is a natural consequence of being a conscious being: you can recognize other conscious beings and recognize that they share similar characteristics to yourself.

 

I also believe there may have been a sort of Baldwinesque fixing of empathic capacity in humans, although I'm wary to speculate about group selection after having read Dawkins deconstruction on it. Of course, Dawkins has also opined on the matter of genetic fixing of empathy himself, and seems to believe that some of that has taken place.

 

If you look at morality from the perspective of Rousseau's social contract, then the minimum level of morality (i.e. being an upstanding member of society) is dictated purely by rational self-interest.

 

I believe a combination of these factors provides the underlying mechanisms for being moral, i.e.

 

I don't murder because:

1. I empathize with others' desire not to be killed, therefore I feel morally obligated not to murder

2. Society would seek retribution if I committed murder, therefore it's in my rational self-interest not to murder

[MrMongoose]

The law follows the general consensus of morality. If enough people are outraged by something, they'll form a strong enough protest to change the law, so the law to some extent encompasses the morals that benefit the populations beliefs as a whole.

 

With this in mind, I realise that any opinions I have that differ from the law are inadequate and as such, lead my life as evilly as the law will let me.

[Realitycheck]

Yeah, American law is pretty easy to bet on.

[PhDP]

I doupt there's one single cause of "morality", but I think most of it is maintained by self-interest, but I also think several byproducts of evolution are involved.

 

In fact, I already made my point about this a long time ago, when there was a philosophy forum...

[DrDNA]

LOL. I laughed when I saw where someone voted for "Best Interest for the Whole Species"?

 

It reminded me of John Belushi a la a classic SNL episode 'The Killer Bees'..."Give us your pollen".

 

Probably only bees and ants consider the rest of their species in their actions.

 

PS: I do what is right because of simple fear. Society will catch me and imprison me, then I will die, gnaw and knash my teeth forever, the worms will eat at my brain continuosly and my flesh will burn in eternal hellfire as I try to scratch my way out.

 

And the worms ate into his brain.............

[ecoli]

perhaps evolutionarily, it's related to kin selection.

[Mr Skeptic]

I think lots of people consider the best for humanity in their morality. Then they go do what is best for themselves.

[DrDNA]

Announcer On Radio: We interrupt this program to bring you this bulletin from the news room. Swarms of South American killer bees have been spotted crossing the border into California.

 

[ Killer Bee Juan enters through windwo, crosses behind sofa and puts knife to Wife's neck ]

 

Sightings have mostly been confined to rural areas. None have yet been seen in more heavily populated areas.

 

Killer Bee Manuel: Senor, if you want to see your wife again, you will do as I say.

 

Announcer On Radio: Eyewitnesses say that the bees are yellow and black, and dress much the way Eli Wallach did in the movie "The Magnificant Seven". The bees are also overweight..

 

Killer Bee Juan: Turn off the radio!

 

Husband: [ turns radi off ] Wait a minute.. you must be..

 

[ Killer Bee Leader kicks in the front door, followed by his swarm ]

 

Killer Bee Leader: That's right, gringo.. the Killer Bees.

 

[ Music: "Sting" ]

 

[ SUPER: "The Killer Bees" ]

 

Carlos, lock the door. Manuel, check upstairs. Pablo, by the window.

 

Husband: What do you want from us?

 

Killer Bee Leader: We want your pollen.

 

Husband: Pollen?

 

Killer Bee Juan: Your pollen or your wife, Senor!

 

Husband: I don't understand. We don't have any pollen. [ Killer Bee Juan presses knife closer to Wife's neck ] I think there might be some pollen in my coat. Let me just take a look. [ walks over to coat rack and checks pockets of his coat ] No pollen there. Maybe the foyer. [ returns to couch ]

 

Killer Bee Carlos: Nice shoes you have, gringo.

 

Husband: Honey, what about the pollen you left in the freezer? Why don't you go get it? Oh, no, wait.. I'm wrong. Didn't we leave it at Aunt Betty's?

 

Wife: You're right. That whole big pile of pollen is at Aunt Betty's. There is no pollen here.

 

Husband: Say, I have an idea. Why don't you take the station wagon.. and drive over to Aunt Betty's.

 

Wife: Well, I couldn't carry all that delicious, yummy pollen by myself.

 

Husband: Alright. If you insist. You're right. We wouldn't want to lose one tiny speck of pollen, if we can help it.

 

Killer Bee Leader: Silence! What do you thnk we are, fools? [ gestures to one of his Killer Bees ] Carlos!

 

[ enter Killer Bee Carlos with Aunt Betty tied up ]

 

Wife: Aunt Betty.

 

Aunt Betty: I had to tell them! They made me! First, they tied me down, and then the buzzing started. That infernal buzzing. The buzzing bees hovering over me, their stingers just inches from..

 

Killer Bee Leader: Carlos, take her away!

 

Killer Bee Carlos: Come on, Aunt Betty, we go for a walk..

 

Killer Bee Leader: Now, maybe you'll talk.

 

Husband: [ flabbergasted ] You don't understand! We don't have any pollen. We're ordinary people - people have relatively little use for pollen. I could write you a check. I could give you ice cream. I can let you watch TV, but I can't give you pollen.

 

Killer Bee Leader: [ dejected ] Never mind. Let the woman go. One more killing would not put polen into the mouthes of our starving children.

 

Killer Bee Juan: [ puts down knife ] But, Diego.

 

Killer Bee Leader: No Juan. What difference does it make? It is over now.

 

[ two of his Killer Bees begin playing traditional, sentimental Mexican tune on guitar and violin ]

 

[ Four Shot: Husband, Wife, Killer Bee Juan, Killer Bee Manual ]

 

We have reached the end of our journey. If we are to go back to the village, we will go back empty-handed. Senor, my people are poor people. For many years they have worked hard. The harvest is so small for so long. I knew we had to leave, to search elsewhere to feed our young. We started to move north last April..

[bascule]

I doupt there's one single cause of "morality"

 

I'd certainly hope that a degree of empathy plays a role in most people's individual morality

 

but I think most of it is maintained by self-interest

 

I weep to think that many are merely guided by adherence to the social contract. That idea seems pretty Randian... and Rand argued that when the social contract isn't at play, the well-being of your friends trumps empathy for other feeling beings, and thus murder of those who oppose your friends is ok, even in cases when their life isn't in jeopardy, which I find pretty scary...

[Royston]

I doupt there's one single cause of "morality", but I think most of it is maintained by self-interest, but I also think several byproducts of evolution are involved.

 

Survival, being the obvious example, and clearly empathy would come into that (as Bascule mentioned.) This 'self interest' usually only extends as far as humans as a species, rather than the system that we're an integral part of. Which could be in part that we ascribe an importance to our species for numerous reasons, but also that we have arguably the greatest sense of suffering. This obviously causes problems, and why so much energy has gone into so-called progress of increasing an individual’s well-being i.e materialistic increase. We're apparently important, we deserve the best quality of life.

 

Even acts that might not seem self interested, e.g preservation of certain eco-systems, are still clearly in the interests of our own survival, because we depend so heavily on them. Anyone who applies for a job, where they feel they're giving something back, or helping the under-privileged, is really only doing it for their own sense of self-worth or empathy, and empathy being a pre-requisite (amongst others) to our own survival. So, I believe, that my morals stem from an utter self interest from a survival POV.

[YT2095]

it should have been a Multi-choice poll really.

 

I voted Conscience because that`s what it comes down to for me if it`s not a Multi-Choice.