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Just Chat! / Re: Is there a universal moral standard?
« on: 28/07/2020 19:27:49 »
If I'm not mistaken, some highly advanced primates as well as some individual parrots have begun displaying signs of a moral code. Add to that the fact that some chimpanzee tribes have been seen using stone tools and "visiting" the place where relatives died (as in, going to the place where they died and spending a little time there for no survival-related reason) and you'll agree with me that what's happening in the animal realm these days is fascinating!
Now, what makes humans special is a set of tools: a language that's capable of abstraction, the ability to understand and use the notions of future and past (which includes funeral rites, for example), and the conscience of our own mortality. We're less special now that it's been proved that other species are displaying some of these traits (some biologists argue that dolphins do have an actual language, and there's solid evidence that some species of squid transmit to their offspring knowledge from past experiences without having the kids go through these same experiences), but having the whole "toolbox" is what allowed the human species to become what it has become.
And when it comes to the universal moral standard, there's a "golden rule" that's present in all religions of the world, even in highly unrelated ones such as native pre-Colombian American religions and Buddhism that can be summed up as "don't do to others what you don't want done to you". In Abrahamic religions, that's the Ten Commandments. Sure, it's often disregarded, twisted or straight out rejected, but it's the closest thing to an universal rule we have. I mean, as soon as a semblant of society appears, it's not difficult to understand that if you don't go and hit your neighbour, that neighbour won't hit you back, and everyone will be happier.
The thing that muddles up the situation is that every culture embeds it in a set of values that are not always compatible with what's present in other cultures. For example, Protestant morale considers material wealth as a gift from God because you're a true believer and hard worker, so if you own a Bugatti or live in a gigantic villa, you're good. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Christian faith looks down on material wealth, and will consider as "moral" a person who suffers and keeps their faith strong as they're mending for their sins. And that's already a key difference between two branches of Christianity, if you compare it with Hindu or traditional Inuit morale, it's going to be even more difficult to see that there is a common point in these seemingly incompatible moral codes; yet, there is one: "don't do to others what you don't want done to you".
Now, what makes humans special is a set of tools: a language that's capable of abstraction, the ability to understand and use the notions of future and past (which includes funeral rites, for example), and the conscience of our own mortality. We're less special now that it's been proved that other species are displaying some of these traits (some biologists argue that dolphins do have an actual language, and there's solid evidence that some species of squid transmit to their offspring knowledge from past experiences without having the kids go through these same experiences), but having the whole "toolbox" is what allowed the human species to become what it has become.
And when it comes to the universal moral standard, there's a "golden rule" that's present in all religions of the world, even in highly unrelated ones such as native pre-Colombian American religions and Buddhism that can be summed up as "don't do to others what you don't want done to you". In Abrahamic religions, that's the Ten Commandments. Sure, it's often disregarded, twisted or straight out rejected, but it's the closest thing to an universal rule we have. I mean, as soon as a semblant of society appears, it's not difficult to understand that if you don't go and hit your neighbour, that neighbour won't hit you back, and everyone will be happier.
The thing that muddles up the situation is that every culture embeds it in a set of values that are not always compatible with what's present in other cultures. For example, Protestant morale considers material wealth as a gift from God because you're a true believer and hard worker, so if you own a Bugatti or live in a gigantic villa, you're good. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Christian faith looks down on material wealth, and will consider as "moral" a person who suffers and keeps their faith strong as they're mending for their sins. And that's already a key difference between two branches of Christianity, if you compare it with Hindu or traditional Inuit morale, it's going to be even more difficult to see that there is a common point in these seemingly incompatible moral codes; yet, there is one: "don't do to others what you don't want done to you".
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