Zonie63
Posts: 2826
Joined: 4/25/2011 From: The Old Pueblo Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: BenevolentM What is morality and what good is it? I'm not sure if I could come up with an all-encompassing definition. It may be just a matter of accepting a certain code of conduct which humans have formulated over thousands of years of philosophizing on the subject. It doesn't mean that everyone actually follows it, and there have been sharp disagreements among humans as to what they think is "moral" vs. "immoral." That may be the main problem, since so many people embrace a set of principles which they considered to be "moral" and "good," yet they don't even follow them. Perhaps morality is idealized in certain fictional (including mythical) characters whom many people strive to be like, but can never really attain perfection. Even in fiction, there might be certain moral truths which come to light. As far "what good is it," I would say its primary "good" is as an organizing principle. I think the better organized a society is, the more efficient, it's more conducive towards progress and advancement. I don't think we'll ever come up with a true and final answer to the question of "what is morality," but as long as we can agree on a few core principles, then we can ad lib the rest, which is what we've been doing all along anyway.
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