Board index › Topical Discussion › Politics, Philosophy, and Religion

Define morality?

Page 8 of 8 [ 122 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Previous topic | Next topic

Dussel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Jan 2009
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,788
Location: London (UK)

30 Jan 2009, 3:35 am

lucy1 wrote:
Morality is a group of values/behavioural standards - developed over time by a group of people living together / society - in order to manage and contain the behaviour of people living within the group -- in an effort to attain a common good for all.


... or uphold the rule of the ruling class.



slowmutant
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,430
Location: Ontario, Canada

30 Jan 2009, 3:43 am

Dussel wrote:
lucy1 wrote:
Morality is a group of values/behavioural standards - developed over time by a group of people living together / society - in order to manage and contain the behaviour of people living within the group -- in an effort to attain a common good for all.


... or uphold the rule of the ruling class.


Not necessarily. There's nothing particularly moral or good about the class system.



McTell
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,453
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

30 Jan 2009, 7:39 am

slowmutant wrote:
Quote:
Would it not be possible for someone to avoid all of these for a bad reason, such as fear of punishment, while still harbouring an unfulfilled desire to do wrong?


Clarify?


What I'm trying to ask is whether you think a person who lives by a moral code because they are afraid of a punishment for breaking it, rather than because they can understand why things are immoral, would be a good person.

ruveyn wrote:
McTell wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
You would be doing well, morality-wise, if you avoided the following:

Lust (Latin, luxuria)
Gluttony (Latin, gula)
Greed (Latin, avaritia)
Sloth (Latin, acedia)
Wrath (Latin, ira)
Envy (Latin, invidia)
Pride (Latin, superbia)

A person who remains clear of these moral failings is, IMO, a moral person. And to those who would object, these 7 sins are universal, in that they apply to the whole of the human race.


Would it not be possible for someone to avoid all of these for a bad reason, such as fear of punishment, while still harbouring an unfulfilled desire to do wrong?


What is wrong with Lust? Without Lust our species would have become extinct.

ruveyn


You quoted me here, but I didn't suggest lust (or indeed anything) was immoral.



slowmutant
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,430
Location: Ontario, Canada

30 Jan 2009, 9:00 am

One acts according to his nature. A good nature wil bring forth good actions, while an evil nature brings forth evil actions. IMO a person's evil nature will eventually win out over any fear of punishment. Conversely, a person's good nature can hold out only so long under persistent temptations to do evil things.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

30 Jan 2009, 9:24 am

slowmutant wrote:
One acts according to his nature. A good nature wil bring forth good actions, while an evil nature brings forth evil actions. IMO a person's evil nature will eventually win out over any fear of punishment. Conversely, a person's good nature can hold out only so long under persistent temptations to do evil things.


Do you believe in Original Sin?

ruveyn



slowmutant
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,430
Location: Ontario, Canada

30 Jan 2009, 9:29 am

ruveyn wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
One acts according to his nature. A good nature wil bring forth good actions, while an evil nature brings forth evil actions. IMO a person's evil nature will eventually win out over any fear of punishment. Conversely, a person's good nature can hold out only so long under persistent temptations to do evil things.


Do you believe in Original Sin?

ruveyn


I do.



Dussel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Jan 2009
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,788
Location: London (UK)

30 Jan 2009, 9:33 am

slowmutant wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
One acts according to his nature. A good nature wil bring forth good actions, while an evil nature brings forth evil actions. IMO a person's evil nature will eventually win out over any fear of punishment. Conversely, a person's good nature can hold out only so long under persistent temptations to do evil things.


Do you believe in Original Sin?

ruveyn


I do.


So we are slipping into the murky waters of Christian Theology, where humans are born with a free will to sin or not-to-sin, but also have an "Original Sin" which is not dependent on the decision of the free will , which is otherwise constituting the ability to sin at all ...

Please - don't ask me to call this logic.



slowmutant
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,430
Location: Ontario, Canada

30 Jan 2009, 10:54 am

Dussel wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
One acts according to his nature. A good nature wil bring forth good actions, while an evil nature brings forth evil actions. IMO a person's evil nature will eventually win out over any fear of punishment. Conversely, a person's good nature can hold out only so long under persistent temptations to do evil things.


Do you believe in Original Sin?

ruveyn


I do.


So we are slipping into the murky waters of Christian Theology, where humans are born with a free will to sin or not-to-sin, but also have an "Original Sin" which is not dependent on the decision of the free will , which is otherwise constituting the ability to sin at all ...

Please - don't ask me to call this logic.


Not everything is. You can call it whatever you want.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 89
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

30 Jan 2009, 1:44 pm

slowmutant wrote:
Not everything is. You can call it whatever you want.


I will. It is nonsense and twaddle.

ruveyn



slowmutant
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,430
Location: Ontario, Canada

30 Jan 2009, 7:11 pm

ruveyn wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
Not everything is. You can call it whatever you want.


I will. It is nonsense and twaddle.

ruveyn


Fair enough.