Are we cut out for universal morality?
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Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#2Probably not. Almost everyone holds a core belief that precludes a universal morality, even outside of tribalism.
That is that a government is morally justified in performing actions that we would find abhorrent of performed by an individual or smaller group.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#3Probably not. Almost everyone holds a core belief that precludes a universal morality, even outside of tribalism. That is that a government is morally justified in performing actions that we would find abhorrent of performed by an individual or smaller group.
Isn't that the basis for a universal morality itself?
That we have chosen to collectively outsource the things we need to keep the sheer number of us alive without having to personally do them? Its not like we can return to hunter gathering because chaos would ensue.
Police, taxes, welfare and narrowed choices of how you can live are our bargain for living in large numbers and close proximity.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#4The premise is quite weird, because we're not "cut out". We've evolved, and still evolving.
The best thing evolution did to us is to make a lot of our behaviors learned. So how we perceive morality is something we can learn, and we can pass onto generations, basically recreating the concept of evolution through culture, at a much faster pace.
The article claims we need to give up tribalism to get there. I disagree. Tribalism is a powerful instinct that can be used for good or bad. We need to stick with tribalism, but make everyone part of the same tribe.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#5Any sufficiently universal morality must include the impact our actions/inactions have on animals (or any other entity capable of "experiencing" some reality). We are nowhere near such a concept, and almost assuredly never will be.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#6I know she is divisive, but Ayn Rand lays out a pretty good model for universal morality.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#7Another mediocre article on morality. If you're interested, research universal morality in Buddhist sutras. By far the best analysis of morality, even compared to purely logical works. Modern-day stuff from what i've seen has been low quality.
For this article, it fails to remember that for every unbiased observer there is an equally biased human at the root.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#8Probably not. Almost everyone holds a core belief that precludes a universal morality, even outside of tribalism. That is that a government is morally justified in performing actions that we would find abhorrent of performed by an individual or smaller group.
This is not a core belief that precludes universal morality, it is simply a belief educated into the masses (Ie the Sovereignty of Nation States).
Which means that other views can similarly be “educated” in.
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#9The premise is quite weird, because we're not "cut out". We've evolved, and still evolving. The best thing evolution did to us is to make a lot of our behaviors learned. So how we perceive morality is something we can learn, and we can pass onto generations, basically recreating the concept of evolution through culture, at a much faster pace. The article claims we need to give up tribalism to get there. I disagree. T…
> We need to stick with tribalism, but make everyone part of the same tribe.
How is that different than giving up tribalism?
Re: Are we cut out for universal morality?
#10The premise is quite weird, because we're not "cut out". We've evolved, and still evolving. The best thing evolution did to us is to make a lot of our behaviors learned. So how we perceive morality is something we can learn, and we can pass onto generations, basically recreating the concept of evolution through culture, at a much faster pace. The article claims we need to give up tribalism to get there. I disagree. T…
Tribalism necessitates an “other”. If we discovered intelligent life on other planets and were suddenly given that “other”, I imagine humans would very quickly all come together as the same tribe. Minor differences between humans (including nationality) would stop mattering in less than a lifetime.