Social Anxiety Forums

Josh · Posted: Fri November 24, 2006 Post subject: Where does morality come from?

If someone asked you "Where does morality come from?" what would your reply be?

Anonymous · Posted: Fri November 24, 2006 Post subject:

From Thor. Or maybe from the very structure of man's reason.

-- K.M.

Josh · Posted: Fri November 24, 2006 Post subject:

I think it's just a concept of how humans ought to behave in an ideal society. But someone's idea of what an "ideal" society is subjective.

Christians think that there are absolute moral laws and they compare it to the laws of science. What they don't understand is that scientific laws are about what is, whereas morality is about what ought to be.

Anonymous · Posted: Fri November 24, 2006 Post subject:

Moral laws or not, not all people follow them and we can't expect ourselves, as an imperfect organism, to do so anywhere and anytime in the future.

aramoor · Gold VIP Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 166 Location: S.Wales

I think morality comes from within. Unless a person is insane, then they certainly know right from worng. Its innate in human nature, prehaps something that seperates us from animals. Of course people have different morrals, but some things you know are wrong in anyones book. I think everyone has morals, just not everyone acts accordingly to their own morals. Its a complex and intersting question though.
_________________
I embrace my desire to
feel the rhythm, to feel connected
enough to step aside and weep like a widow
to feel inspired, to fathom the power,
to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain,
to swing on the spiral
of our divinity and still be a human.

Anonymous · Posted: Wed November 29, 2006 Post subject:

Josh · Posted: Wed November 29, 2006 Post subject:

How is morality testable? How can you say whether a human or animal does or doesn't have a sense of morality?

aramoor · Gold VIP Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 166 Location: S.Wales

I think the question of morality doesnt even arrise with animals. Animals have an innate sense of survival. They do whet they need to survive. A lion killing a gazzel is not imoral - its what lions do. Man has risen above that (for better or for worse) Prehaps self-awareness is the first step to having a sense of morals.

I dont think morality is testable. Its a concept invented by humans. When you do something you know is wrong, or when you cheat another person you know you've done worng - you get a niggling feeling in your stomoch. Having a sense of morality is linked with that. Just something we've named thats built in to us.

Josh · Posted: Wed November 29, 2006 Post subject:

Yes I agree with the part where you said morality is an invention of humans. In that sense, it is something that an animal wouldn't have. Perhaps morality is like art, music, and culture.

However the feeling you get I think that is just empathy and I think that animals might have that too, only how could you test whether animals had empathy?

I was watching a documentary where the scientists put two monkeys in seperate cages side by side where there was a small opening between the two cages. One monkey was given 2 nuts, and the other monkey a tool to open the nuts. Neither monkey could eat anything if they didn't co-operate.

The monkey with the 2 nuts gave both nuts to the other monkey, then the monkey used the tool to open the nuts. What was interesting is that the monkey then gave one nut back to the first monkey, even though he could have eaten both for himself.

I think that social animals have a sense of "tit-for-tat" which is similar to human morality.

aramoor · Gold VIP Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 166 Location: S.Wales

Feeling empathy is integral to having morals. If you felt nothing of the plight of others then morality becomes impossible.

Its intersting that monkey experimant. Prehaps they have a sense of "tit-for-tat" but I think that would be more linked to a sense of survival, whereas if a human does the moraly right thing they do it more out of a sense of beeing able to live with their own actions, and doing the right thing by others. Again I think it comes down to self awareness.

Prehaps without music art and culture you couldnt have morality. Certainly without culture and society morality could not exist. Either that or it would become irrelavent.

Its intersting. I think at a base-level everyone has similar morals. Its immoral to rob someone blind in the street, to kill someone. etc. But the is it wrong to download pirate movies? Its "wrong" becasue the law says its wrong. But is it imoral? I'm not sure. Film studios are very rich, and have no problem over-pricing official merchandise, so why shouldnt I get what I can for free. I wouldnt steal off an individual, but stealing off a multi-natinal corporation doesnt seem as bad. The more cpmlex and entwined with society and man made things get the harder it gets to define what is moraly right.