who decides what is good and what is bad?

[randomint]

if you were to raise up a child in total isolation from the rest of the world, would he know what is good and what is bad? how would he know that murder, stealing is bad and helping others etc. is good? i guess what i'm trying to say is that how did humans acquire the ocncept of good and evil in the first place?

we know it because we are taught this by our parents, peers, school, environment, media but how did human scome to know this? assuming of course that no mythical/supernatural being told us.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: randomint
if you were to raise up a child in total isolation from the rest of the world, would he know what is good and what is bad? how would he know that murder, stealing is bad and helping others etc. is good? i guess what i'm trying to say is that how did humans acquire the ocncept of good and evil in the first place?

we know it because we are taught this by our parents, peers, school, environment, media but how did human scome to know this? assuming of course that no mythical/supernatural being told us.

Well anyone could tell what caused pain, tiredness, and pleasure and then apply that.

It really depends on more than upbringing too...you can take two animals or people, raise them the same way and one may be more evil and the other more good (for descriptive purposes).

 

[Lola]

we as a society have decided what good is and what it means and what bad is and what it means.
I am sure when humans were evolving they had some concept of pain=bad and no pain=not bad... and as society also evolved, the ideas became more specific.
I have a whole lot to say about this but don't want to type it out so that will do.

 

[randomint]

no not just pain, tiredness but the very concept of it. like murder for example. if two kids were raised in isolation and one kills the other because he wanted somethnig the other had, would he feel regret and shame at having done something "wrong"? if yes, why? how does he/she know it's "wrong". that's what i'm trying to get at.

or would he feel that he did what he had to do to get what he wanted.

 

[Kadarin]

It's based on an innate sense of the Golden Rule: That you treat others as how you would want to be treated in return.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: randomint
if you were to raise up a child in total isolation from the rest of the world, would he know what is good and what is bad? how would he know that murder, stealing is bad and helping others etc. is good? i guess what i'm trying to say is that how did humans acquire the ocncept of good and evil in the first place?

we know it because we are taught this by our parents, peers, school, environment, media but how did human scome to know this? assuming of course that no mythical/supernatural being told us.

Basic morality (the golden rule) is very simple. We don't want people doing these things to us, therefore we do not do it to them. It's the only way a society can remain civil.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure it out. Morality is rooted in pure selfishness. Not religion, not altruism, but selfishness. I do not want to be murdered, therefore murder is bad. I do not want my stuff stolen, therefore stealing is bad.

 

[paulxcook]

I assume you're looking for a non-religious answer?

 

[randomint]

Originally posted by: paulxcook
I assume you're looking for a non-religious answer?

if possible, yes.

i understand the golden rule or the ethics of reciprocity which humans learned at very early stage and then were later cemented in various religions.

but outside of religion, is this a natural result of evolution? that overtime humans learned this through experience?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: randomint

Originally posted by: paulxcook
I assume you're looking for a non-religious answer?

if possible, yes.

i understand the golden rule or the ethics of reciprocity which humans learned at very early stage and then were later cemented in various religions.

but outside of religion, is this a natural result of evolution? that overtime humans learned this through experience?

It would make sense. Those humans that chose to cooperate with one another were more successful than the loners

 

[manowar821]

The golden rule does not need to be a religious term or rule. I'm an atheist, and I try my best to follow it.

I also believe in eye-for-an-eye, though...

 

[Canun]

Originally posted by: manowar821
The golden rule does not need to be a religious term or rule. I'm an atheist, and I try my best to follow it.

I also believe in eye-for-an-eye, though...

But how did the golden rule come about? Animals usually get along, except when food, territory, or mating come into play. Additionally, in the beginning, what kept people from doing whatever they want when there weren't reprecussions? Enter religion, possibly even devised by rulers to maintain control, and we have the modern basis of ethics.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Canun

Originally posted by: manowar821
The golden rule does not need to be a religious term or rule. I'm an atheist, and I try my best to follow it.

I also believe in eye-for-an-eye, though...

But how did the golden rule come about? Animals usually get along, except when food, territory, or mating come into play. Additionally, in the beginning, what kept people from doing whatever they want when there weren't reprecussions? Enter religion, possibly even devised by rulers to maintain control, and we have the modern basis of ethics.

Either that or ethics came about first and religion was used as a way to get people to think they're constantly being watched.

 

[manowar821]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Canun

Originally posted by: manowar821
The golden rule does not need to be a religious term or rule. I'm an atheist, and I try my best to follow it.

I also believe in eye-for-an-eye, though...

But how did the golden rule come about? Animals usually get along, except when food, territory, or mating come into play. Additionally, in the beginning, what kept people from doing whatever they want when there weren't reprecussions? Enter religion, possibly even devised by rulers to maintain control, and we have the modern basis of ethics.

Either that or ethics came about first and religion was used as a way to get people to think they're constantly being watched.

Probably a combination of that, people wanting to not feel alone, and the fact that you can use religion to gain power. The golden rule cannot get you that power.

In general, I'd like to believe that human beings do have a basic desire to get along with one another, regardless of how often they hurt one another... The golden rule is, IMO, a simple literal way of describing this feeling.

I don't believe it came from religion. I believe the golden rule developed on it's own, based on this basic desire for companionship and peace.

 

[JS80]

God does. Social construction is made up bullshvt used as an excuse for pervert men to have sex with boys.

 

[DivideBYZero]

so i was talking
with a friend and
they thought something
was bad.
i thought it was good
so we went to
get some food.
anyway when we got back
there was an
email about cheese
so we started talking
lol
about cheese and how
sometimes it is
bad and also good

 

[leftyman]

I have decided that I should decide what is good or bad.

 

[randomint]

Originally posted by: manowar821
In general, I'd like to believe that human beings do have a basic desire to get along with one another, regardless of how often they hurt one another... The golden rule is, IMO, a simple literal way of describing this feeling.

I don't believe it came from religion. I believe the golden rule developed on it's own, based on this basic desire for companionship and peace.

so you are saying that there is an inherent capacity for good in human beings?

 

[manowar821]

Originally posted by: randomint

Originally posted by: manowar821
In general, I'd like to believe that human beings do have a basic desire to get along with one another, regardless of how often they hurt one another... The golden rule is, IMO, a simple literal way of describing this feeling.

I don't believe it came from religion. I believe the golden rule developed on it's own, based on this basic desire for companionship and peace.

so you are saying that there is an inherent capacity for good in human beings?

Yeah, but sometimes it's hard to support...

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: JS80
God does. Social construction is made up bullshvt used as an excuse for pervert men to have sex with boys.

Ban

 

[piasabird]

Every society decides what the societal norms are.

Besides you just know certain things are bad.

Stealing
Death
murder
lying

These all lead to problems. Then man made some laws.

If everyone decided what was right for themselves that would be called anarchy. This kind of concept died with the Feudal system in the Dark Ages.

Why do you think they called it the Dark Ages???

An awful lot of things are kind of gray all of a sudden.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: randomint

Originally posted by: paulxcook
I assume you're looking for a non-religious answer?

if possible, yes.

i understand the golden rule or the ethics of reciprocity which humans learned at very early stage and then were later cemented in various religions.

but outside of religion, is this a natural result of evolution? that overtime humans learned this through experience?

I think it's a somewhat necessary part of human evolution honestly.

Otherwise we're just a bunch of savage animals IMO.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: randomint

Originally posted by: paulxcook
I assume you're looking for a non-religious answer?

if possible, yes.

i understand the golden rule or the ethics of reciprocity which humans learned at very early stage and then were later cemented in various religions.

but outside of religion, is this a natural result of evolution? that overtime humans learned this through experience?

We're societal animals. We do what is good for the group, we avoid what is bad for the group. Killing another member of the tribe means one less set of arms/teeth by which to hunt/gather. You get kicked out of the group or killed for doing so unless it's a challenge for authority, and even then it's not normally to the death.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Every society decides what the societal norms are.

Besides you just know certain things are bad.

Stealing
Death
murder
lying

These all lead to problems. Then man made some laws.

If everyone decided what was right for themselves that would be called anarchy. This kind of concept died with the Feudal system in the Dark Ages.

Why do you think they called it the Dark Ages???

An awful lot of things are kind of gray all of a sudden.

It was mostly due to the Roman Empires withdrawl from foreign territories and the subsequent lack of historical record keeping, but yeah...

 

[DaShen]

you have to define the scope and the audience.

 

[IGBT]

..I hear Al Sharpton want's to be the ethic and morality czar.