Morality

[henry quirk]

From where does 'morality' come? What is the source of morality? What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?

[BigV]

Third question first:

Context matters a great deal.

You say "behavior", and I read that as "action". A given action can be right/good in one context and wrong/evil in a different context. I don't know if a non trivial list of actions that are absolutely good or bad can be generated.

First question:

Since I believe that context matters so much, and that requires judgement and discernment, completely intellectual exercises, mental exercises that is, I think the source of morality is our own judgement. Our own heads.

[henry quirk]

...but before I weigh in, I'd like others to respond.

Thanks, though...again: nice answer.

[BigV]

Thank you sir.

I think this is a very good question, though likely unanswerable in this form, at least for me. For such questions I face in my life, the absence of context is not an obstacle. This makes the question answerable, though sometimes it is still difficult.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

From where does 'morality' come?

Me.

Originally Posted by henry quirk

What is the source of morality?

You.

Originally Posted by henry quirk

What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?

Whether or not you and me agree.

[JBKlyde]

To be moral one must have a will to be "righteous." Immorality is a conciquence of a lack of "righteous" judgement.

[henry quirk]

Good responses: all.

Thanks!

Anyone else?



JB, would you expand a little on what you mean by "righteous"

[JBKlyde]

Doing the right thing. Now if one has no will to do the right thing, he will end up in places like jail. So to be righteous in it's most basic form is to not be a "crook".

[henry quirk]

I hate to be a nudge, but "Doing the right thing": what do you mean?

As I asked, 'What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?'

V says, "the source of morality is our own judgement. Our own heads.", which I agree with.

Sex says, morality's source is "me (&) you", with the labels of 'good' and 'evil' applied as "me (&) you" agree or disagree. Again: I agree.

I guess I'm looking for something more definitive from you, JB.

Care to oblige?

[DanaC]

At its very core, I think our 'morality' and sense of 'right' and 'wrong' is a sophisticated child of social monkey/primate behaviour.

Certain areas of the brain (can't recall exactly which off the top of my head) have developed to operate impulse control, delayed gratification, and 'moral' understanding. It isn't fully developed until late teens, and in some damaged individuals never develops at all.

It's this, I think, that gives us that sense of unease, bordering on revulsion, around some of the people who lack those things (I'm thinking mainly of psychopaths and sociopaths). We instinctively recognise the threat posed to group survival by people who aren't coded to co-operate smoothly. An unfortunate by-product of this instinct is, I suspect, at the root of much of the social unease and stigma around non-threatening mental or neurological conditions.

How each group of humans codifies their particular moral understanding and structures will vary enormously according to the particular social, political, economic and historical factors that have shaped their world and culture. The extent to which that group morality will be accepted and acceded to, or rejected and resisted, by any one sub-group likewise.

But certain core themes seem present across the board. Mostly they seem to be the kind that support group survival. Laws and customs that either prohibit, or reduce the limits of acceptability on, acts of fatal violence. Laws or customs that prohibit or place agreed boundaries around responses to acts of fatal violence. Against acts of theft, or, to borrow HQ's terminology, attempting to take a bigger monkey's bananas without permission. Laws and customs protecting various elements of marriage or partnering, and care of children.

We've added a lot of refinements as our need for organisation and increased co-operation expanded, but that's the core of it I think.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

From where does 'morality' come? What is the source of morality? What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?

To answer all three at once: Social acceptance, or the lack thereof.

Yer welcome.

[Lamplighter]

From his comments and questions in several threads, I've come to think HQ basically denies "morality".

"Envy" seems to be his only justification for inter-group dischord,
and this 6th Sin is the problem for the "envy-or", not the "envy-ee"

So, by following a survivalist path, one sets themself apart from all groups,
and, therefore, from criticism or intra-group responsibility.

[JBKlyde]

I think what you missing here is the word "will". Having the "will power" to do the right thing means that ones heart is "motivated" by a passion to be moral. Morality is more of a heart Issue than a Head issue. There are three possible ways a man can think.. with his Head his Heart or His Penis. If you want to be moral you have to think with your heart. My heart is week so I have no real understanding of morality. Except that believing in Jesus Christ makes me righteous enough to make it to heaven. ANd since my Goal is to make it to heaven and take as many people UP with me as possible I will strive to do the right thing.

[henry quirk]

Storm, Dana, Grave: thanks for the responses.

Lamp, while you're certainly free to assess me (wrongly, in any thread you like), I'm far more interested in hearing your answer to...

'From where does 'morality' come? What is the source of morality? What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?'

JB, thanks for the clarification.

Anyone else want to weigh in before I piss someone off (again)?

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

What is the source of morality?

From people (I'm going to avoid the neurological explanation). I'll explain in the following fashion.

100 people with their own unique moral code come together to form a community. After dealing with each other, the 100 individuals had to update their own moral code to survive, fit in, and keep a stable society. Eventually, the moral codes of the 100 individuals become more and more similar until you could make generalizations about the society's moral code (keep in mind that everyone's moral code was still unique, and everyone's differed in different ways, but they were close enough that they could agree on many key issues to guarantee the survival of the community).

Now children are born and they are influenced from the morals of the community and their parents. As the children grow older, they keep their childhood moral influences, to varying degrees, while updating their individual moral code for various reasons (free thinking, environmental influences, and the change of the generalized "society morals).

Morals come from people and represent our reaction to our environment. Our moral code is how we interact with our society and environment.

What makes one behavior 'right' or 'good' and another 'wrong' or 'evil'?'

There is no clear answer to this one. Usually someone is evil when they go against the moral code of an individual. That can include people that are going against the moral code for sadistic pleasure, people that are forced to break society's moral code for whatever reason, or people that have a different perspective of what is right or wrong.