Is a God Needed for Morality?

[Tassie_Rohan]

What are all questions in these sort of debates always answered with questions?

 

[Bryan]

Socrates would approve of this approach!

Er, uh, would Socrates approve of this approach?

 

[H2Andy]

Are humans alone with this whole conscience thing?

and yet, some humans don't seem to have a conscience

they put people into killing fields; they kill at will

serial killers, serial rapists

don't feel any guilt over what they do ...

do they have a conscience too?

 

[H2Andy]

What are all questions in these sort of debates always answered with questions?

what do you think?

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

and yet, some humans don't seem to have a conscience

they put people into killing fields; they kill at will

serial killers, serial rapists

don't feel any guilt over what they do ...

do they have a conscience too?

I think everyone has a conscience, but not necessarily with the same moral bearings.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Does what other people think matter? Is that the foundation of morality?

 

[Bryan]

and yet, some humans don't seem to have a conscience

they put people into killing fields; they kill at will

serial killers, serial rapists

don't feel any guilt over what they do ...

do they have a conscience too?

But, unlike animals, is this behavior truly for their own survival? Knowing that society disapproves, this isn't survival of the fittest behavior. What drives this? Mental illness plays a role, no doubt, but can it explain all of it?

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[Cacia]

serial killers, serial rapists

don't feel any guilt over what they do ...

do they have a conscience too?

No..and that is what makes them sociopaths.

you know this stuff, don't you?

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

Does what other people think matter? Is that the foundation of morality?

in the scheme of a civilization, yes, it has to for us to be able to rely on each other to survive in our social formats

 

[dlndavid]

ok, now that the Creation v. Evolution thread is gone (and what a great thread it was), i figured i'd ask a question:

how do you do right in the absence of absolute right (i.e. God)?

how do you know what's "wrong" without a GOd telling you?

or is that possible? is morality the exclusive domain of a deity, be it our God or Buddha?


i guess my question is:

can there be moral lives without God in them?

Andy, in my limited knowledge in this area, if you have nobody to answer to, your sense of morality has your own personal direction, and who knows what that is.