RE: Why do we need morals?
May 27, 2013 at 10:29 am
(This post was last modified: May 27, 2013 at 10:33 am by dazzn.)
(May 20, 2013 at 6:02 am)littleendian Wrote:(May 12, 2013 at 9:00 am)dazzn Wrote: I think those who purport moral subjectivism only do so based on their own latent sociopathy, but I personally don't endorse "morality" at all.Morality for me is just a fancy word for "feels right". Now, what "feels right" I believe is determined by the society we were brought up in and is ultimately the product of a lot of superstitions and dogma, Christian or otherwise. Thinking and reason can and will lead to different morals than those we have today, albeit of course only over the course of generations. Then what "feels right" will be more in sync with what our reasoning tells us is logical. What is "right" basically boils down to treating others as we would like to be treated ourselves. This is a sound rational basis because it is impossible to prove that my own desires and wants have any objective, reasonable precedence over the desires and wants of any other being.
Why should a grown and rational person do so?
Of course only when we are not in distress we have the capacity for moral action. When we are in distress reason breaks down (because it hasn't evolved for this purpose) and we will be selfish and do whatever necessary to survive. I would not say the latter is in the realm of "moral versus immoral".
morals don't exist. why is that so hard to comprehend?
(May 12, 2013 at 5:27 pm)Darkstar Wrote: We need morals because there would be utter chaos without them.
and? is your view supreme in this case?
Quote:As to determining good morals, it isn't really a matter of feeling (although you could try to say that the suffering of being wronged is a feeling). Inevitably, there will be moral disagreement, and very few people are just going to let it slide and say all moral views are equal.
all moral views are equal.
Quote:The reason why the "logical" thing to do and the moral thing to do don't always match up is because logic and morality are different domains. Logic, in and of itself, cannot be used. In order for logic to be used, it must be applied to something. There is nothing inherently logical about doing anything unless doing that things aids some goal. What is logical about eating if you are trying to starve yourself? Likewise, what is logical about stealing if you are trying to be a good person and keep society in order? The golden rule and empathy seem to be some of the strongest motivators for morality (in the case of the golden rule, one would of course have to take into account the differences between you and the other, i.e. a masochist who wants to be hurt doesn't have to right to hurt others).
The golden rule is something said not meant.
Quote:Of course, some might still question whether the preservation of humanity and being kind to others has any real basis. Kant's categorical imperative states what we ought to do, as some sort of objective morality. However, it is difficult to demonstrate the validity of such a thing. You ought to follow the rules of logic, otherwise logic won't work and you will like in ignorance. But what if that is what you want? Well, then there is no way to convince you.
A better way to put this would be to use a hypothetical imperative summed up as the following:
If you value human life at all, then you should strive to be a good person.
If you do not place any value whatsoever in human life (and not because you are suicidal but because you have no conscience) then you should not value your own life either, and might as well:
Life is tough. who doesn't comprehend that?
(May 12, 2013 at 11:27 am)Slumberjack Wrote: Are you asking what value does morality have? If so then it depends on what you mean by value. Morality is itself the assignment of value, (moral value) to particular actions/intentions etc, so in some ways it's an odd question unless you define what you mean by value in this instance.
I simply think the world would be better if people did as they pleased.
The free man is the wise man, who ultimately is the winner in life.