(May 29, 2011 at 5:23 am)fr0d0 Wrote: Secular morality:
Follows cultural influence
Follows personal interest - can be good or bad
Aspirational morality:
Follows perfection
Follows selfless interest
You can't conclude that any person would we better or worse than any other given that, because it's down to the individual and how much they follow their ideals.
Aspirational morality always follows cultural influence. All forms of morality follow cultural influence. The whole idea that "following perfection" is part of "morality" is a product of cultural influence. Others may define morality differently (e.g., obedience to a moral authority), so I think the division here is arbitrary.
Secular morality, I think, has the advantage of being open to critical debate and the constraints of social contract. That's why most developed societies have embraced it for the foundations of their legal systems. It's the only form of morality that can come close to encompassing contrasting viewpoints, even when those viewpoints are based on irrational beliefs without evidence or sufficient justification.