Where does morality come from?

Question: Where does morality come from!?

is a sense of maorality with us when we are born ( like its not ok to murder your sister) or do we learn thses things!? are western morals influenced by religion too much, and as they change, where did they come from int he first place!? everyones morals are different, but some are enforced upon us by the law!. im confusedWww@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

These are very good questions!.

I suggest you read an essay called "The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life," by William James, which is the wisest thing I've ever read on these convoluted subjects!.

In the meantime, I'll just say that in SOME respects, morality is in born!. The fact that most people reject utilitarianism as a philosophy is becauser we have an inborn sense (all too often over-ridden) that all life is sacred, and that to sacrifice any one life to the whole, no matter how completely that makes the total pleasure-pain calculus improve, would be monstrous!.

Such a sensation -- the rejection of such cold calculations -- is a datum, given us by our neuronal make-up!. I think our make-up is wise in this, and we should work with it not fight it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Children have the most tender consciences - until we adults harden them!. This has nothing to do with western culture or religion anywhere!. God has implanted this sense of right and wrong!. It takes an act of adult will to seek to return to God's standards, to allow his Holy Spirit to re-train our spoiled consciences!. Here is what one wise man said on the subject of morality:

"Many never come to suspect how much they are governed by unconscious forms of selfishness, how much their virtuous acts are prompted by a narrow and human self-interest!. In fact, it is often precisely the rigidity and the unbending formalism of these pious men that keep them from becoming truly detached!.!.!. Everything you love for its own sake, outside of God alone, blinds your intellect and ruins your judgment of moral values and vitiates your choices so that you cannot clearly distinguish good from evil and you do not truly know God's will!. And when you love and desire things for their own sakes, even though you may understand general moral principles, you do not know how to apply them!.!.!. As for those who have thrown themselves entirely into the disorder of sin - they often make themselvs completely incapable of understanding the simplest principles; they can no longer see the most obvious and the most natural moral law!. They may have the most brilliant gifts and be able to discuss the subtlest of ethical questions - and they do not even have a faint appreciation of what they are talking about because they have no love for these things as values, only an abstract interest in them as concepts!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

The most cogent argument is that morality evolves in social animals, most obviously in humans!. Consider the effect of natural selection on a distribution of small primitive societies having different levels of moral behavior!. Moral behavior enhances cooperation, trust, and thus increases the survivability of the society!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Created in Gods image, thus you have a basis of morals instilled in your being!. You can choose not to listen to them, but then that determines how people percieve you and judge your character!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I agree with Box of Rain, amongst the many questions, I have seen, this is a very interesting question! I am stumped!.!.!.I look forward to the answer to this!. Well Done, Bethany!.!.!.!.now, I cannot go to sleep, cause this question, is gonna keep me awake!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

"Morals" come from "Ethics"!. "Ethics' come from "Morals"!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

society generated morals, orignally they were rules for effective and effcient society!. all societys dislike murder because its counter productive!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They come from the family, the company you keep and Sankara's those are done in the society!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You learn moral from God, your parents and your peers!. Without them, it would be up to your natural instinct!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

From an urge to protect humanity!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Good question!.

I am going to have to ponder this one for a while!.

Thank you for inspiring my mind!.Www@QuestionHome@Com