A friend of mine believes that morality is objective, that there is a right and a wrong answer to moral problems not based on mere opinion, that there are moral facts. His argument boils down to, "You should do what is right because you're alive" -- in his own words.
I have a different take on the matter. I think that assuming certain goals there are better and worse answers to moral problems, maybe even right and wrong answers in certain cases. If we want to minimize violence in our own lives and societies there are certain moral standards to abide by that will be better to produce that outcome.
But it's returning to first principles that makes me doubt that morality is truly objective. While we have socially and biologically primed goals such as survival and happiness I have yet to be convinced that these goals are rationally justifiable in themselves. They are a given. We generally value our lives, so we want to make sure they're protected, and enforcing certain moral codes in a society are conducive to that. But why value life? Why live? We just do. We're programmed to.
At this time I believe that morality rests on a foundation of goals that have no rational justification, and therefore it might be said that morality has a subjective and an objective component. Though I'm not sure "subjective" is the best way to describe the underlying goals morality seeks to preserve I have yet to come up with a better word.
Do you have any thoughts on the objectivity of morality? Does your spiritual system or religious path shed any light on this topic?
I have a different take on the matter. I think that assuming certain goals there are better and worse answers to moral problems, maybe even right and wrong answers in certain cases. If we want to minimize violence in our own lives and societies there are certain moral standards to abide by that will be better to produce that outcome.
But it's returning to first principles that makes me doubt that morality is truly objective. While we have socially and biologically primed goals such as survival and happiness I have yet to be convinced that these goals are rationally justifiable in themselves. They are a given. We generally value our lives, so we want to make sure they're protected, and enforcing certain moral codes in a society are conducive to that. But why value life? Why live? We just do. We're programmed to.
At this time I believe that morality rests on a foundation of goals that have no rational justification, and therefore it might be said that morality has a subjective and an objective component. Though I'm not sure "subjective" is the best way to describe the underlying goals morality seeks to preserve I have yet to come up with a better word.
Do you have any thoughts on the objectivity of morality? Does your spiritual system or religious path shed any light on this topic?
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