Originally Posted by Jericho_falls
So, the reasoning is: with no external influence one would not develop morals.
I think then we can all then conclude something external exists, no? Look at the logic:
1) without external influence man would not develop morals
2) man currently has and passes on morals
3) the origin of morals must therefore be external
Plainly put, morals could never have developed if man were an animal. Where would they come from? How and why would homo sapien ever repress his own instincts of survival for a "higher code" which essentially is counter-survival. It would not happen. If once there were no morals then man has essentially been in a "box" and thus our current morals must have come from an external source. If there has always been morals then man is not an animal. If man is not an animal, he is something else: a creation made in the image of God.
Not exactly. I've been thinking about it, and I think there's more truth to Eon and DV's point of view than I've been allowing. Morals could easily be complete human constructs.
Let's take a look at your logic:
1) without external influence man would not develop morals
2) man currently has and passes on morals
3) the origin of morals must therefore be external
I've no problem with your second premise, but let's assess your first. First of all, that's not what Eon and DV are saying. True, a single human living by himself in the wilderness would probably not develop his own code of ethics. But that's not how humans live, is it? Humans are communal creatures. We like to live in groups. If you think about it, all of our typical moral codes involve interaction with other people. Without other people, morality does not have appeal.
But when humans live in groups it is an entirely different story. As systems of governments rise in popularity and complexity, so do moral codes. In order for society to be functional, certain rules need to be laid down. If people in a community ran around killing and stealing and raping, there would not be much appeal for community. Humans gathered together for the first time thousands of years ago for symbotic relationships. Humans could survive better and have a higher standard of living if they worked together with fellow members of their species. Thus, humans wanted to make their communities work.
Moral codes arose from the logical conclusions that certain activities (like killing and stealing) would be detrimental to society. These customs were then passed on to newborn children so that they could learn the ways of the world, and when they grew up and had children, the process repeats itself. So you see, this would be a perfectly feasible way for morality to have originated in internally. God does not have a role.
