Right and wrong, morals, et cetera

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Do you believe there are any absolute morals? Are they perhaps based on nature, on our evolution and biological needs? Or are right and wrong entirely dependent upon transitory cultural standards and personal whims?

Regarding morals and sexual behaviour, HERE is an essay you might find interesting.

Michael Shermer wrote a book on morality called "The Science of good and Evil". His conclusion is that Morality, like Truth, is provisional in nature.

The line between good and evil is blurred...........but then if you put anything far away enough, it's blurred.

The "line" between good and evil does'nt really exist. Morality comes in different shades of grey. Morality exists because actions have consequences. These consequences can be mixed with both good and bad results. Therefore the morality is mixed too.

I believe there should be a code of ethics, but I believe that right and wrong beyond that should be dependent on the individual's own perspective. I also hate the word "morality," because it insinuates some sort of religiosity.

For example, gays should be treated like any other person in society. One can hate gays all he wants, which is a completely irrational belief as far as I'm concerned, but he has that right. He shouldn't have the right, however, to mistreat gays as if they were social rejects.

There was a western state where a cop called a black person who was being handcuffed "a black bastard." I think the department was right in firing that cop, because that's a completely racist remark. No person in authority has the right, I think, to denigrate another on basis of race, gender, age, etc...

Morality is used to control people. It leaves people without any choices. Religion uses this term all the time, to try and force people into their mold. Morality in this regard hurts other people. It has nothing to do with ethics. A lot of discriminatory practices are based on moral codes written up by religious people.

- Ray M -

I think everyone has a different perspective on what's right and wrong. One person's right is another's wrong. For me, compassion is critical to morality. For another, justice is the main driver. One person might say that the death penalty, for example, is moral because it's "what they deserve for what they did." For me, it's immoral because it is forcing someone to die. In my eyes, it doesn't matter who you're killing. It doesn't matter if you're killing a good guy or a bad guy or a demon from hell. Killing is killing, and killing is wrong. Now, there can be exceptions--for example, if the only way to stop someone from causing the deaths of thousands of people is to kill them, then by all means, kill them. But if you have the option not to and there will not be any negative effects on anyone else, then why do it? All it does is transform you into a murderer yourself.

In another example, it's moral to tell someone the truth, but it's not always the kind thing, is it? Sometimes, someone learning the truth would temporarily devastate them, and they'd be much happier not knowing. But is it moral to let people remain ignorant, even though it is kind? Some people, like myself, always prefer the cold hard truth even when it causes us to have temporary emotional explosions, but some would prefer not knowing, and who are you to force the truth down their throats? How do you know when someone would want the truth? It's stuff like this that makes morality such a complex and personal thing, influenced by one's upbringing and values and what not.