Different societies have different moral and social standards. for example some cultures believe in covering the human physique, or as their moral definition works, dressing modestly, and other cultures believe in showing skin, or rather do not have an issue with 'showing' skin.
That's a good thing to say, but what would you do when you are faced with a more challenging issues where some moral codes might strongly conflict with yours and might even drive you to oppose it for being disturbing or something. Would you just say they have different code of morals and walk away or you would point out for them how "morally wrong" that was based on your "own morality"?
I dont see it close to divine commands, I see universal morality if there is one, as biologically rooted, the commands are a by-product. religious morality may be an extension of human evolution. we moved from the morality of hunter-gatherers who lived in small groups, to the morality which characterized the new realities of the Neolithic transition, and then to urbanization and central power, with it also came new religious structures, and morality was also framed into these structures.
If it was biologically rooted, we wouldn't have different set of morals, don't you think so?
No of course not I don't think any two people have the exact same morals everyone's morals will be slightly different
I would say they come from your culture, upbringing and your general perspective of life.
Slightly different? Well, not all the time. Can one culture set of morals be more valid than the other?
I examine each situation individually and determine whether or not I feel certain actions are right or wrong. Those feelings of right and wrong are based on the experiences in my life up until that point. I don't find it possible for immoral actions to be listed like the 10 commandments, because for most of the so called "wrongs" I can find instances where I'd consider it alright.
But these feelings are the product of your upbringing like what Panda has said, and if you were born and raised in a totally different country/culture, you would have different type of feelings toward various moral issues. Would you feel your morality would be any less valid than now, if let's say, you been born and raised in a totally different place like Asia or Africa?
From Bertrand Russell:
"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."
"The superfluity of theoretical ethics is obvious in simple cases. Suppose, for instance, your child is ill. Love makes you wish to cure it, and science tells you how to do so. There is not an intermediate stage of ethical theory, where it is demonstrated that your child had better be cured. Your act springs directly from desire for an end, together with knowledge of means."
Forgive me for bringing up this example. Let's say a Christian has made the same statement about homosexuality in your country. If he thought of homosexuality as illness (
of course assuming it's illness, i'm not saying it's illness) and just for the sake of the argument, let's say he said the following:
"
Suppose, for instance, your child is ill (of homosexuality). Love makes you wish to cure it, and science tells you how to do so. There is not an intermediate stage of ethical theory, where it is demonstrated that your child had better be cured. Your act springs directly from desire for an end, together with knowledge of means."
What do you think of such a statement? Would you see it differently or less valid now?
Morality deals with the relationships between people in given circumstances. It is, by definition, relative to those relationships and circumstances.
Did you mean subjective?
Well
, chapter two in my book is entitled "Morality: Relative or Objective?".
I already mentioned the name of the book in my OP. It's "
Applying Moral Theories" by C.E. Harris, JR.