Most people concede that morality exists in human nature (mostly), but why would it be necessary if we are simply products of random chemical interactions?
2007-06-01 08:51:41 · 7 answers · asked by M&S 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
We have evolved to be social animals. We are very dependent on the social group, so it makes sense that we would have developed a sense of what was good for the group and what wasn't. All social animals have "rules" like the ones that we have for making the community function smoothly. I also think that, when we got to the point where we had some higher brain function, we developed empathy. Much of "morality" is based upon empathy; I don't want someone to hurt me, so I don't want to hurt someone else, either.
2007-06-01 08:57:38 · answer #1 · answered by N 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Morality is a meme.
Memes evolve within societies. Societies with more successful memes are more successful and so those memes survive and spread. Socities with poorer memes are less successful and so those memes become extinct.
This is how morality can change over time. For example the acceptance of slavery.
We are not the products of random chemical interactions.
The first form of life was the result of of random chemical interactions. but over the last 3.5 billion years life has being evolving. Evolution is not random. IT has a definite driving force to make a particular lifeform better suited to it's environment.
2007-06-01 16:02:55 · answer #2 · answered by Simon T 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Morality is subjective to culture, morality did not evolve, intelligence did. We are not born with a sense of morality, but with our large average intelligence, we can learn these cultural norms through our social ties and traditions we develop throughout our lifetimes.
In conclusion, we are still animals. Put us in danger and the save your own skin comes into play, though there are other emotions that can counteract this, such as love, and if a person is raised in a culture without a sense of morality guiding it, its people will be ruthless savages.
2007-06-01 15:56:02 · answer #3 · answered by Starvin' Marvin 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
but why would it be necessary if we are simply products of random chemical interactions?
-- Because morality improves the survivability of a species. A species that is moral helps it's fellow members and punishes those who hurt members. That means a more successful species.
2007-06-01 15:55:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
We evolved as a social species. Morality promotes gene survival. There are literally dozens of books on the evolution of Altuism. I suggest going to amazon, entering "Evolution and Altruism" and then using your credit card up to your limit.
2007-06-01 16:00:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Read "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins and find out
2007-06-01 15:57:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
some men are pebbles on the shore of a great ocean.
2007-06-01 15:56:46 · answer #7 · answered by Julian 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋