(no subject)
I became involved in a conversation today. I know, big news, eh? Seriously though, it disturbed me to hear someone my age, at my stage of life, with christian beliefs, saying that they did not believe in a moral absolute. For me, it is impossible to believe in an absolute God without also believing that the existence of that God means that there is an absolute right and wrong.
I can't accept that ignorance excuses anyone, or that culture shapes what is right and wrong. One's culture will shape a person's perspective on what is right and wrong, but I don't think it can alter what is and what is not right. The person with whom I was debating kept returning to "Well, from a secular viewpoint . . . " But I wasn't trying to talk about how a secular person would view the world. I was trying to discuss the reality of the world.
In a way, this keeps returning me to the question of Plato's Euthyphro - Is something good because the gods (or God) command it, or do the gods (God) command it because it is good?
Anyway, I was frustrated, and am frustrated - so, I thought I would share.
I can't accept that ignorance excuses anyone, or that culture shapes what is right and wrong. One's culture will shape a person's perspective on what is right and wrong, but I don't think it can alter what is and what is not right. The person with whom I was debating kept returning to "Well, from a secular viewpoint . . . " But I wasn't trying to talk about how a secular person would view the world. I was trying to discuss the reality of the world.
In a way, this keeps returning me to the question of Plato's Euthyphro - Is something good because the gods (or God) command it, or do the gods (God) command it because it is good?
Anyway, I was frustrated, and am frustrated - so, I thought I would share.