morality

It is kinda striking to watch this video and realize that this was only twenty years ago. Twenty years for many radical changes and improvements in the mentality of human beings. It seems almost inconceivable that there used to be a time when the majority of people thought that selling records...

If you could take a pill* that makes you 5-10% smarter than your former self, would you? What if it made you 25%-50% more intelligent? What if we could "restore" mentally handicapped people to average levels of intelligence (perhaps without affecting personality and demeanor directly?) Are...

I'm starting my more in depth study of ethics and morality now, so I would like to have criticisms of my current view :) . In a previous thread, which I can't seem to find at the moment, there was a discussion about science, religion, morality, and values. I did a very messy job of it, so here I...

Science of Morality, Anyone? Where, in American culture, is the domain of knowledge that we would identify as morality studied and taught? I suspect that if we do not quickly develop a science of morality that will make it possible for us to live together on this planet in a more harmonious...

Euthyphro's Dilemma is essentially this: Is what is moral commanded by God because it is moral, or is it moral because it is commanded by God? The first case implies that there is a morality independent of God - that God follows what is moral just like we do. The second implies that...

(With thanks to tyr_13 for suggesting a 'recovering new-ager' thread...) I've recently come through a period of more intensive study and practice of my favourite woo, emerging into scepticism with more clarity and confidence than perhaps ever before in my life. It's great in some ways, but...

I asked this to another poster because I would like to get different opinions. Unfortunately my question wasn't answered. Are morals inherent? Learned? Do other animals have morals or is it completely a human construct that applies only to the human animal? Could someone lead a "good" life...

from a blog! http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=286060136&blogID=418598264&Mytoken=79F11D12-A21D-42E0-98199B92ADAF24D6165513873 How can we be moral without God? A dumb question worth answering only because of the frequency with which it's asked. What's stopping...

I was debating a theist who was very progressive and didn't believe in creationism or intelligent design. Needless to say, he's not your typical, everyday Muslim. Anyways, the one question that he asked me that really stumped me was this: Do you believe in absolute truth, the concept that there...

As many of you know, I am a Christian. I post on many atheist and sceptic sites, and often discover Christian posters who arrive, post a few Bible verses and depart. On one such forum I became immensely bored by my co-religionists seeming to believe that morality was dependent upon theism. Not...

A couple of years ago I got into a conversation with a Mormon friend of mine about religion & morality (I'm an atheist). When he argued that religion was a component necessary for morality, I answered him with the Euthyphro Dilemma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro_Dilemma I basically...

The following is a brief excerpt of an exchange between me and thaiboxerken on the relationship between religions belief and personal views. If that were true there would be no branching of religious sects, no alternate interpretations, or evolution of religions over time. People don't...

I was just interested in seeing what books my fellow Forumites have read concerning morality & ethics from an atheist perspective. I'll start... "Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe" by Erik J. Wielenberg What are your picks?

Do those you claim that you need to believe in divine retribution to be a moral person scare you? I find that to say such a thing they would have to be essentialy sociopathic. They would have to have no empathy for others, be so totaly selfcentered and self focused that they could not see the...

This is partially a response to the recent morality thread that quickly regressed into flame. Define "value" as the weight one gives to a certain action/behavior or group of actions/behaviors according to how well they think those actions/behaviors will serve their needs. Define "morality" as...

Is it possible to arrive at a rational definition of morality that you can use to judge situations? I'm asking because I don't personally believe there is a rational basis for morality. I have a code of personal ethics, and I believe it is possible to determine actions that, as a society, will...

I feel as if I'm one of the only ones here since it feels as if the fundie Christians are the only ones who speak out against it. First let me make some very important distinctions. Huge difference between "immoral" and "should be illegal" Don't believe me? I think cheating on your spouse is...

I am currently reading a book called "The Sociopath Next Door", by Martha Stout. It's an intriguing (and somewhat scary) look at people who have no conscience, and how they can blend into society without being noticed. I found it interesting in the context of those who make a case for...

First - these aren't rhetorical questions that I have the answers to. I'm not asking these to argue with you about. I'm wondering what answers you may have. 1) Are there any religious principals and / or morals that are not actions? That is - are there any religious principals and morals that...

You've all heard them before. These are scruples questions designed to make you think about where you stand on moral issues. Keep in mind that these questions are completely hypothetical, with some being more far-fetched than others. I'm aware that nearly all of these questions contain...

"WASHINGTON - Regulatory approval could catalyze the nascent U.S. cloning industry, but leading firms say growth would come slowly as they battle to win consumers over to the concept of food from cloned animals." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22593574/ A) Would you eat meat or drink milk from a...

Here's the scenario: You are forced to spend some one-on-one time with one of two people: Mr Hart or Mr Mynde (or Mrs/Miss/Ms if you prefer - but the scenario prohibits any influence from sexual attraction). Mr Hart is a morally perfect individual. He is unfailingly loyal, honest...

So, last night we had a shooting in Copenhagen - the 13th incident in the last 3 months (Source). This is pretty unusual, and the police think it's gang-related and are thinking of ways to stop it before it gets further out of control. But that's not what I want to talk about - I want to talk...

As a child I believed that morality could only come from religion. I was an atheist and absolutely confident that god was a lie, and it really worried me that my moral beliefs were therefore totally baseless (as I thought). I used to wonder whether I might some day "wake up" from my irrational...

Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion and Morality Prometheus Books, 1990 428 pages More Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion and Morality Prometheus Books, 1993 452 pages Steve Allen was a musician, comedian and a television pioneer, perhaps best known as an inventor of the talk show. He was also...

I hear the twofold argument that since God allegedly created all life, it's his right to kill whenever He wants to, and that since He created all morals and emotions, it's also OK for Him to do absolutely whatever He wants. And of course I can't make life myself, because apparently I never made...

There are various opinions on this. I'm not sure, myself. I'd be interested in seeing those of others. A poor man comes up to another man and says, "Please help me; my children are hungry and I have no money." The second man has little money himself; he has only a dollar, his last, but he...

Many people suppose there is an intrinsic moral distinction between restrictions on a person's options caused by other people and restrictions on a person's options caused by "natural forces" such as biology or the laws of physics or whatever. I don't see the logic behind this. Surely, to the...

After reading "A Fire Upon the Deep" it occured to me that understanding where morality comes from will be very important in the future as we dabble in A.I. that might eventually become sentient. My current take is that three things contribute to the generation of what we call morality (well...

A Yale freshman decided to get all C.S. Lewis with an op-ed in the Yale Daily News recently: http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/21408 I've got a constructive dialog going with him... if any one else is interested in sending comments, I think he would appreciate it.