Are morals divinely inspired?

ER · 10-20-2004, 4:20 PM

In this thread, the discussion eventually turned to whether or not morals are divinely inspired. I'm curious - if right and wrong is not dictated to us by God then what defines morals today? What makes stealing wrong? We have laws that say so, but where did we get them (I of course have my theories...

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If we look at animals we see survival of the fittest in the sense that one will take from another what it needs to survive - if it can.

figment · 10-20-2004, 4:58 PM

Quote:

Ethics, although it contains an element of human creativity and inventiveness, is even more clearly a discovery, something which is not of our own making.

--Louis P. Pojman

bubba · 10-20-2004, 5:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ER

In this thread, the discussion eventually turned to whether or not morals are divinely inspired. I'm curious - if right and wrong is not dictated to us by God then what defines morals today? What makes stealing wrong? We have laws that say so, but where did we get them (I of course have my theories...

)

If we look at animals we see survival of the fittest in the sense that one will take from another what it needs to survive - if it can.

morals are "implanted" in you by your upbringing and the enviornment in which you live.

look at nudity - here in the US it is frowned upon hence the feeling of embarassment. In the EU it is part of life and accepted, and when i ask my European friends about the embaraasment they are dumbfounded at the idea

Rios929 · 10-20-2004, 5:54 PM

If they were divinely inspired why wouldn't we just all have the same morals? Why would humans be inclined to create an environment in which going against some of these morals was acceptable? Basically, why would humans be naturally inclined to do the wrong thing?

Has there ever been a law against masterbation or premarital sex? Certainly not in this country? If there was a divinely inspired moral regarding this matter, why would we be inclined to do the wrong thing by not prohibiting it?

Morals have a lot more to do with nurture than nature. I'm sure you could raise a kid to think that stealing is perfectly acceptable.

As for bringing in natural selection into this discussion, I just don't get it. Natural Selection has a lot more to do with breeding than actually surviving. When you make a moral choice, most of the time, it does not affect whether you reproduce at that moment or not...

I don't see the comparison at all.
plus....there are tons of altruistic animals who die for the good of the community...

figment · 10-20-2004, 6:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rios929

If they were divinely inspired why wouldn't we just all have the same morals? Why would humans be inclined to create an environment in which going against some of these morals was acceptable? Basically, why would humans be naturally inclined to do the wrong thing?

Think about that question...how there could be "right" without wrong...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rios929

Has there ever been a law against masterbation or premarital sex? Certainly not in this country? If there was a divinely inspired moral regarding this matter, why would we be inclined to do the wrong thing by not prohibiting it?

There's a difference between "law" and morals.

Rios929 · 10-20-2004, 6:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by figment

Think about that question...how there could be "right" without wrong...

There's a difference between "law" and morals.

There can't be a right without a wrong, but they are both defined arbitrarily, mostly by nurture.

I realize laws and morals are different, my question was, why are we not naturally inclined to make our laws reflect our morals? Why is it acceptible to beat your meat in a society with divinely inspired morals?

BDA116 · 10-20-2004, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rios929

Has there ever been a law against masterbation or premarital sex? Certainly not in this country? If there was a divinely inspired moral regarding this matter, why would we be inclined to do the wrong thing by not prohibiting it?

Actually, there are many weird laws about sex. Some states have laws against masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, extramarital sex, sex toys, etc. or any combination of the above.

ND4SPD · 10-20-2004, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rios929

If they were divinely inspired why wouldn't we just all have the same morals? Why would humans be inclined to create an environment in which going against some of these morals was acceptable? Basically, why would humans be naturally inclined to do the wrong thing?

Has there ever been a law against masterbation or premarital sex? Certainly not in this country? If there was a divinely inspired moral regarding this matter, why would we be inclined to do the wrong thing by not prohibiting it?

Morals have a lot more to do with nurture than nature. I'm sure you could raise a kid to think that stealing is perfectly acceptable.

As for bringing in natural selection into this discussion, I just don't get it. Natural Selection has a lot more to do with breeding than actually surviving. When you make a moral choice, most of the time, it does not affect whether you reproduce at that moment or not...

I don't see the comparison at all.
plus....there are tons of altruistic animals who die for the good of the community...

There is also free will. Each and every person on this planet can do whatever he/she wants. Not without consequences of course, but free will is free will.

Rios929 · 10-21-2004, 5:46 PM

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Originally Posted by ND4SPD

There is also free will. Each and every person on this planet can do whatever he/she wants. Not without consequences of course, but free will is free will.

Yep, that was my point. If we all have free will, and we all have the same divinely inspired morals, then why does society as a whole go against the morals? This would mean that we naturally go against our divinely ispired morals. So we're born with divinely ispired morals, and a natural tendency to go agaist them? makes no sense.

figment · 10-21-2004, 5:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rios929

Yep, that was my point. If we all have free will, and we all have the same divinely inspired morals, then why does society as a whole go against the morals? This would mean that we naturally go against our divinely ispired morals. So we're born with divinely ispired morals, and a natural tendency to go agaist them? makes no sense.

Lordy

Having morals doesnt change your will. Morals are what you see as right and wrong, not the things you want do. Lots of people do wrong in spite of the fact they know they are wrong. Myself included.

Rios929 · 10-21-2004, 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by figment

Lordy

Having morals doesnt change your will. Morals are what you see as right and wrong, not the things you want do. Lots of people do wrong in spite of the fact they know they are wrong. Myself included.

maybe you should reread my post

"So we're born with divinely ispired morals, and a natural tendency (A WILL) to go agaist them? makes no sense."

If people were born with divinely inspired morals than they would create a society that reflected them.

What was first the "divinely inspired morals" or the environment / society? If the divinely ispired morals were first, then our environment would reflect them.

ND4SPD · 10-21-2004, 6:27 PM

tendency

Rios929 · 10-21-2004, 6:33 PM

ah, I see...tendency was the wrong word.

ok so this is what you guys are saying

People are born with divinely inspired morals, they choose to either ignore them, act against them or follow them, but as a whole society does not follow them? So usually society freely chooses to go agaist their divinely inspired morals and creates an environment that reflects this?