A short essay on morality

[draque]

This is something that's been bouncing around the inside of my head for a while which I've been meaning to post. Constructive criticism welcome from anyone who takes the time to read. ^^

Comments

[cbwolf]

While I am a theist, with a strong sense of morality, those are all good points, and I largely agree with them. I have never, even as a small child, been comfortable with the idea of my theology dictating my morality. The will of any being, supreme or otherwise, has never seemed to be a good basis for moral precepts. I have often mused (although I know, in reality, I am not this actually this selfless) that if there were a Hell of infinite suffering and damnation, I would demand to be sent to it out of protest. There is no finite earth sin that could possibly justify an infinity of punishment in my mind.

Now that I have grown my ideas of theology and morality have evolved along strange lines. For one, I believe everything you have said to be true. The morality of societies is based on a social contract, not on supernatural absolutes. Words like right, wrong, and (especially) evil are arbitrary. These things are as true to me as gravity. Simple, rational, fact.

However, I do also believe, very strongly, in reading between the lines. That is, I think everything is very likely to be explainable rationally. I don't believe miracles that violate the laws of physics have happened any more than I believe that anybody's system of morality is sourced from divine inspiration. However, I do believe there is more meaning to the events that transpire in the universe then what simple facts would indicate. I believe there is likely a life after death, souls, and a creator diety. I don't really try and analyze it past this, since these things must exist outside of our perception and imagination, which is grounded in a physical universe.

Similarly, I believe there is an elusive significance to the moral choices we make, that extends beyond (or perhaps in between) what the very real facts would indicate. Like the theme of a novel that is never explicitly stated, it is there floating around, and it is one of the pursuits of my life to figure it out (not that I ever expect to without any degree of certainty). However, just like theology, I see morality as a personal pursuit. That is, something pursued, whether by yourself or with others, for your own sake, and no one else's. I do not think governments, or science should be based on any theological or moral precepts, unless we define morality as being practices which improve the management of the society. In which case, that is the only precept governments should be based on is moral ones, and I need a different word to describe what I am talking about. Perhaps social morality vs. personal morality.

Anyway, there's my two cents for what it is worth. Good little essay. I totally called you being nihilistic by the way.

[draque]

I suppose I have a problem with reading in between the lines to the the will of any creator (even if one does exist) simply because the "morality" that it prescribed would simply be the imposition of its will, and it would have no way to know if there was or was not some greater power or creator that was imposing his own version of moral code. The possibility of infinite regress is one of the harder things to deal with when establishing any sort of universal value for an abstract concept.

Also I'm curious... I don't remember you calling that, how long ago was it you guessed?