On Mar 15, 2009, at 12:22:33 PM, "Ham Priday" <[email protected]> wrote:
Platt -- > Looks to me like you are proponent of moral relativism. Right? Absolutely! It's the only way we can have free choice. Morality is a concept of rational behavior devised by man to promote harmony in a collective society. A moral system is a set of mores or conventions whereby individuals can work amicably toward mutually desired goals, shunning or ostracizing those who refuse to abide by its principles of "right" and "wrong". There is nothing "absolute" or universal about morality, as can be seen by studying alien cultures. Because one man's goodness may be another man's idiosyncrasy, a moral code of some kind is efficacious in ensuring the assimilation of all participants. This is as true of street gangs as it is of bridge clubs and fraternities. Morality is what establishes the social order of any human group. Values are either desirable or undesirable to a subject. They become "right" or "wrong" only when they lead to behavior that supports or undermines the collective goal. So that a measure of conformity is the price paid for joining a group. I believe I made the suggestion previously, but you really should read Steve Eddington's "Confessions of a Moral Relativist" which I've archived at http://www.essentialism.net/confessions.htm. (Eddington is the Unitarian minister who coined the word "choicemaker" as a definition for man.) Here's an extract to show his reasoning: "Morality, values, and ethics are not just important, they are essential to human survival and well being. This is why we have them and why they have evolved, albeit in a rather halting fashion, over the course of human history. Moral relativism is the recognition of this simple truth: That morality is of human origin and has evolved along with humanity itself for the sake of human survival and human well being; and therefore-as I view it-has a certain sacred quality about it for that reason alone. A moral relativist is one who recognizes the broad moral and ethical values and precepts that have served the cause of humanity over the course of human history, and who seeks to apply those values and principles in whatever personal, or social, or socio-political situation it is that calls for moral decision making." One more point that must be emphasized: If Goodness were absolute (or fixed) there would be no need for morality, since it would be impossible to choose the alternative. And choosing values is what human existence is all about. Happy St. Patrick's to you, too, Platt. --Ham Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ Ham, You provide an interesting evolutionary view of the free will of choices.. How does Quality fit in? Thanks, Willblake2 Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
