apeman
Member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2007
- Messages
- 123
- Location
- UK
- Basic Beliefs
- Believe in something beyond your own life.
I disagree, societies have many differing ways of dealing with the same problems, also societies have differing ideas over what constitutes a problem...for instance some societies value all individuals as equal in value (in terms of basic rights) whilst others do not.
Without objective truth we can not say that one idea is superior to the other since both ideas have been successful.
What you call "differing ways" are only small degrees. The first moral rule in any society is, "Don't kill your friends." After that, it's a long discussion about who is a friend. The second rule is, "Don't steal your friend's stuff." After that, it's a long discussion about what constitutes "stuff". Both of these rules make it possible for us to live in cooperative groups. The environment and climate are the greatest factors in the details of how we define friend and stuff. There is no objective truth to be cited. We do this in order to survive.
I think that you are conflating morality with self interest...we all know that the highest description of a moral act is that it is a brave one. A brave act requires that a member of the group willingly puts his life on the line for the group even though he wishes to live. Chesterton nailed it with...."Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.". Self interest can not be the foundation of morality...it is only one of its drivers.