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Where does morality come from?

Darwin believed that morality was natural. Not societal or religiously taught. Rather, it is a product of survival and evolution. Do you agree with his conclusion? Or, do you think morality comes from societal standards?

Per Wiki, "Charles Darwin defends a naturalist approach to morality. In The Descent of Man, he argues that moral behaviour has outgrown from animal tendency for empathy through evolution of morality. By comparing human and animal behavior through a naturalist approach, he concludes that moral sense is based on the species' sociability, notably altruism...In Darwin's view, empathy lays as the foundation for our actions, as opposed to selfishness."

silvereyes 8 Feb 9
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36 comments (26 - 36)

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1

I think morality or your code of ethics come from your parents and other primary friends and family. I think your immedite environment like school, playgrounds, and social events will also help form a child's morality.

1

I personally believe as Americans, we are jaded, to programmed and conditioned to even begin to have an objective reply to this question. I'm curious how isolated tribal peoples, say those in the Amazon river basin might reply.

1

Pretty much the only answer that works. You either say morality is something that comes from human biology or it comes from supernatural sources.

@silvereyes you are confusing ethics with morality. Morality is supposed to be independent of time, location, and culture.

Morality is what allows us to judge the past and people in alien cultures.

1

Caring about another's suffering.

1

Morality was a word coined by humans to describe what we inherently all posses; good will towards others. Good will was then cherry picked and packaged as "morals" to use as a deliverable when the pious needed something to use as a selling point to the gullible. To answer though, I agree with Darwin on human empathy. We however, as he states, aren't the only critters that show it.

1

Yeah there are evolutionary advantages to it. It has its roots in empathy, helps create mutally cooperative/benefitial relationships and stay vigilant around cheats. Proto empathy/morality, reciprocal altruism can be seen in all kinds of animals.

1

It was probably natural before blades, guns and war were invented by us. Now it's both natural and cosmetic in my opinion with the times.

1

Morality is influenced by desire, experience, thought, culture and nature.

0

If all the seal biting a bird's neck off and has sex pacticing with some other animal, that is natural, that is fine. That is evolution and mother nature I don't care. You take a club to a 100 baby seals and your going to have to kill me.

0

IMO religion is naturally immoral as it was applied to separate humanity by means of the dominion principle. Dominion enables mass consumption and produces excess that can be exploited allowing a few to live off the labor of many or visa versa depending on the commodity. Natural morality is a balance; every individual takes as much as it needs but not much more, a general equality exists within natural morality.

jeffy Level 7 Feb 9, 2018
0

Without watching the videos below, I'm going to say I'm in line with Darwin. Cooperation was and is vital for the survivor of the "tribe." As time goes on, we seem to make the tribe more inclusive.

Human rights used to be about white guys, but more and more it is recognized some categories have been left out. (Gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, lack of religion.)

And more and more, animals are drawn into the same circle.

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