Do human beings have an inherent sense of morality, or is all morality learned behavior?

Answer 1

We have conflicting tendencies toward both self-preservation and social functioning. Morality is the result of trying to bring these two into balance, and as such it is culturally taught.

Answer 2

They don't even have an inherent humanity. Leave one human kid in the middle of the woods, raised by wild animals, and you'll get one wild animal instead of a human.

Of course, there are some things, like care for the children, that are inherent - they will be called instincts, though. And anyway, there is no instinct for morality.

But then, there is an instinct for socialization and learning.

And you know, in larger social groups, the "Good" (aka the moral thing) seems simply to be more efficient than the "Evil" (aka the immoral)? Not to mention, in lots of cases, healthier (sex only after marriage in a society without efficient contraceptive means). But this is another story...

Answer 3

Darwin thought morality extendd to animals, such as a dog saving a drowning boy. However, later behavioral scienists reallized this was altruism and not a sense of morality.

It seems that humans, (with our unique ability for abstract thought) are the only creatures with a sense of morality... i guess this means it's inherent, not learned....

though what is seen as moral differs from culture to culture, the ability to have morals is inherent.

Answer 4

good question. I think it's a bit of both.

Richard Dawkins has a good chapter of the evolution of "morality" in The God Delusion. There are very good reasons why altruism, empathy and morality would be beneficial traits to the survival of a species. We see some evidence of all of these in some animal species as well, mostly primates but also cetaceans.

The religious notion that we know what is moral because of "God inspired scriptures" is clearly post hoc rationalization. What was considered "moral" in Old Testament times would have people accused of war crimes and genocide today. We know longer think slavery is moral, or racism, or sexism. As culture has evolved, our attitudes to what is moral has also changed. The Bible reflects the customs and mores of the fallible humans who wrote it. There is no evidence of a supremely moral creator behind the nastiness that is particularly evident in the OT.

Answer 5

I think morality is too often guided by religion, that is, doing what you're "supposed to do" so you can be rewarded later. I prefer the sort of morality guided by a sense of right and wrong, which I wholly believe is learned behavior. After less than a year of teaching, I can say with some degree of certainty that one's upbringing has MUCH to do with what is considered right or wrong.

Answer 6

We start off as a couple of cells. Everything we have is learned, not innate. The method of learning isn't neccessarily measurable, detectable or comprehensible, but that does not mean it is innate.

I'm going to suggest the idea that perhaps morality is a result of shared consciousness caused by mental interaction with the noosphere. Not everyone has the same level of interaction with it and the interaction we have is filtered by our own understanding and experiences. This is perhaps why morality is different for different people.

For instance, we can intuit that it is wrong to kill people because we wouldn't want anyone to kill us. That's an easy one to pick up on and most people agree it is wrong. Stealing to feed your family - some people due to their experiences will pick up most strongly on 'stealing is wrong', others will find a stronger affinity to 'protect your family'. Experience and intuition.

Answer 7

I think MOST people have a "conscience," an inner sense that tells them when they're not doing what they're "supposed" to be doing. This is, in my opinion, the ONLY true morality. Religious "morality," on the contrary, usually involves blindly following out a set of fixed conventions (quoth fireball "we still need to laern the rules") which are enforced by some sort of supernatural threat-and-reward system. People who respond to this question by vomiting bible verse are only demonstrating themselves to be morally bankrupt sheep who mistake symbols for the things they represent.

Answer 8

It is very possible that we do have an innate sense of morality. Studies with very little children suggest that a willingness to help another person is pretty much built in. And compassion more generally seems to be as much nature as nurture. This is consistent with the fact that compassion (and a sense of community that goes with it) is clearly beneficial to our species survival and evolution.

Answer 9

The Bible says that God gives a certain measure of faith to everyone, but most morality is learned, I think. I remember reading a book by Margaret Meade years ago. In it she told about her first visit to a village of island people who had not been influenced by Christian morality. Children began having sex with each other at a very early age, both same sex and other, in every way, and no one thought anything about it. Mothers masturbated their young sons while they nursed and it was accepted as normal. Can you imagine doing that in public in our society? When Meade asked one mother why she did it, she replied: "It gives him pleasure!" To that woman it would be immoral NOT to pleasure her son.

Answer 10

Morality is learned - you have to know what is and is not moral in order to be moral. And the definition of morality comes from the environment which you live in.