RE: Is There a Point To Living a Moral Life?
October 17, 2013 at 8:58 am
(This post was last modified: October 17, 2013 at 9:00 am by Sword of Christ.)
(October 17, 2013 at 8:42 am)popeyespappy Wrote: I won't speak for Esquilax, but I generally agree with your first sentence, partially agree with the second one and disagree with the third.
Yes, morality is based in current social norms and beneficial behavior that evolved in our social species. It most likely has its roots in compassion, and compassion is an evolved trait. Generally speaking society sets the norms for what is acceptable behavior and what is not. In most current cultures stealing, rape and murder are considered wrong. It hasn't always been that way though. In earlier cultures these things were sometimes acceptable although usually only outside of one's immediate social group.
There is a little more to it than do onto others as you would have them do onto you though. There is also altruism. Some of us have a genuine concern for the welfare of others. For example some people involved in animal rescue do it because saving the life of another species makes us feel good about ourselves. This too probably has its roots in compassion.
I would argue with good reason based on what we observe of the human situation on the ground that genuine compassion, altruism selflessness goes beyond your utilitarian view of naturally evolved mutual survival systems. It wouldn't explain why a soldier would jump on a grenade to save his squad mates for example. They're not genetically related to him, if they died and he survived that's no disadvantage to him personally. There was an example of this in the recent shootings in Kenya when someone drew the terrorists attention to himself so saving a group of children. They weren't his children so no good reason to care if they were shot and he himself survived.
Quote:As far as only existing in the human brain goes I doubt it. Other species on this planet exhibit behaviors consistent with what most humans consider moral behavior. We have observed them taking care of the weak, risking their own lives for the sake of others and even morning their dead. We don't communicate with them well enough to know if any one of them understand the concept of morality, but my guess is the closer many of them are to us on the evolutionary tree the higher the probability that they do.
Animals don't have a concept of morality but the higher intelligent animals demonstrate some degree of selflessness/altruism like ourselves so not purely utilitarian/survival based. Dolphins have been known to rescue humans in trouble in the water putting themselves at risk of shark attack.
And humans have been known to eat dolphins so that's an interesting juxtaposition there I suppose.
Come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant.