What is the origin of morality? If evoluton is correct and humans are highly evolved matter-with no soul or spirit-- why do we have a basic sense of what is right and wrong?
2007-01-22 07:15:40 · 12 answers · asked by kyletexas_123 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
We have a basic sense of right and wrong BECAUSE we evolved.
Every single social mammalian species on the planet shows two social instincts: Empathy and Altruism. Empathy is the ability to recognize another's pain or pleasure, altruism is the ability for self sacrifice for the greater whole.
When these two instincts are consciously and logically applied, you find they are the core principles of the most fundamental rule of ethics -- do unto others as you'd have them do to you (common version of the Golden Rule, OR, do not do to another what would be unpleasant if done to you (Buddhist version, negative phrasing), OR, do unto others as they do unto you (Satanic version, reactive phrasing).
We're not moral in spite of evolution ... we're moral BECAUSE of it.
2007-01-22 07:21:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If evolution is correct, the thing of morality might have just somehow evolved with us. Morality was really just conditioned by the people who brought us up, and those people learned it from other people, etc. I'm not sure where it came from, but I guess someone out there thought that for the human race to make any type of progress, there should be some order to society?
2007-01-22 07:20:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not believe humans are born with a sense of right and wrong. I think it is up to the parents or whoever raises the chld to instill that in them. If you were to take a newborn child and completely remove them from society and gve them only what was neccessary for survival with no human contact, I do not believe they would develop a set of morals and would not see the "wrong" in killing, stealing, or harming another person. These are societal values taught to us in various ways as we grow.
2007-01-22 07:20:28 · answer #3 · answered by Punkie'sDad 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot of it is learned. I think a lot of it comes from experience, if you do something that doesn't leave you feeling "right" chances are it's wrong. For instance if you get drunk and have unprotected sex with someone you don't know you become worried, and possibly feel empty. This is because it's wrong, because some book said so? No. Because sex should be shared between two people who love and trust each other. Cause God said so? No.
2007-01-22 07:20:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mind is connected to the functions of the brain in this life... if the brain is functioning properly the mind usually is able to tell the difference between what really causes harm and what does not. "Right" and "wrong" are concepts that vary depending on the type of religion one professes to believe, which is usually based on someone else's ideas which the perceiver agrees with, or not.
_()_
2007-01-22 07:21:09 · answer #5 · answered by vinslave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We do have a soul, which for me it's sensibility, that's why we suffer when things get messed up, and it's a common feeling for most people, so that's why we call it wrong. The rest is right
2007-01-22 07:21:11 · answer #6 · answered by carol s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have a basic sense of what is right or wrong because God put it in us.
2007-01-22 07:18:46 · answer #7 · answered by Sachu 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its right and sometimes wrong
2007-01-22 07:18:19 · answer #8 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
right is sometimes good and wrong is always bad
2007-01-22 07:29:37 · answer #9 · answered by God Is Love 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
conciousness, free will, deep thought...
does a bird of prey feel bad for killing its food?
2007-01-22 07:20:40 · answer #10 · answered by DZ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋