Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!
Do you believe there is objective moral truth or that morality is subjective and entirely dependant on the circumstances.
This doesn't need to become a flame fest, just wondering what everyone out there is thinking.
could you give any examples of what you'd say are universal morals -- no matter what the people say are either moral or immoral?
and for all the subjective supporters-- do you grant moral pardons to members of societies like nazi germany (Not speaking of the leaders, but for Hans and Gertrud etc. who happen to fully suport the concentration camps and discrimination within their society)?
This could be interesting. I suppose if there were two universal morals that could be pinned down in man's natural state they would be first and foremost: the drive for self preservation and secondly, mankind's natural aversion to witnessing or inflicting pain on other sentient beings.
Thake the Chilean rugby team plane crash in the Andes for example. Under extreme conditions they were forced into cannibalism simply for self preservation. However they only ate their dead and avoided inflicting pain on others.
Likewise the vast majority of mankind would not willingly pursue the harm of others. I'm sure most of you would rather avoid a fight or would naturally object to running over the 30 year old mother walking her kid across the street. Same as anyone else in the world.
Now that's strictly in man's natural state. Once in a society there are certain beliefs and 'morals' if you will that man is raised with which differs from case to case. What is reasonable for a person of strict muslim upbringing is certainly a lot different than Joe Blow Pat's fan in suburban Boston.
Either way, self preservation and the aversion to pain and suffering of others. Those two me are two pretty identifiable universal morals.
Hope I helped!
Even if there were universally accepted morals, individuals would still be able to act immorally, disregarding these just the same way that they disregard "man-made" morals. So no there would still be murder.
The declaration of independence speaks of self evident truths; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
If something is self evident, then it is something that can be arrived at by all individuals regardless of their back
Everything is pretty much just a different shade of gray, but humans are pretty handicapped in their ability to observe the world outside of linguistic dualities.
