RE: Objective vs Subjective Morals
May 3, 2014 at 4:35 am
(This post was last modified: May 3, 2014 at 4:38 am by Freedom of thought.)
I think objective morals are grounded in the process of evolution, which exists independent of ourselves. Evolutionary speaking, the only way for a social species like ourselves can survive is by evaluating the consequences of our actions on others, and by minimizing the suffering we put onto others. If we were all being horrible to each other all the time we wouldn't last long. Of course, there is still always going to be tribalism against competing tribes, this can be seen in the wars that plagued our species. This can also be attributed to religion (my god vs your god) and our 'superiority' complex, were we always think we are superior to the next tribe, when there is little difference between them; This is also another cognitive bias we have. There is no doubting it, human morals come from evolution. I don't think that degrades the meaning of morals at all. Morals therefore aren't 'illusory', they are a real feature of our brains, just as our sight and smell. They help us live happy and productive lives. You can't live a happy life raping, murdering, and inflicting suffering on others. You'd only be happy doing those things if you are mentally deranged. Adding god into the equation because you don't know where they come from is an argument from ignorance. Also, there are objective morals through logic, such as utilitarianism.