What is the source for our morals?

[Chad32]

As subjective as they are, morals come about as a need for a group to get along with others. We're social creatures, and normally need companionship and help in our lives to remain mentally and sometimes physically healthy. So we have general rules like don't kill, don't steal, be nice, obey your elders, and so forth. Every culture has them. You pretty much have to do these things if you want to stay in the group, un less you wield some kind of power over the rest of the group.

This is the main reason why power corrupts. The less likely you are to get kicked out of the group, the more likely you are to get away with doing bad things. Because you're the biggest, or you have the money, or whatever. The people need to keep those in power in line, because it doesn't matter if you're the top dog in a country if everyone leaves, or nobody does what you want them to do.

This brings me to the point about rulers vs public servants. The group benefits most if the people are happy and well off. Thus those who run things should do what the people want, instead of the people serving the ruler as their master. This is why yahweh comes off as evil and possibly insane, and most people don't want to follow something like that. We see what happens in theocracies and dictatorships, and they tend to be worse than social democracies.

In short, morals are rules for living in a group. Unfortunately they don't always pertain to those outside the group people are in, but people are often only capable of caring so much for so many people.