@dale said:
@unknownuser said:
I think most people have the strength in them to know what is truly moral without the need or support of religion.
And from whence do people learn their morality?
Cheers.
So, I'm trying to understand, am I correct in assuming that you think choosing to end your own life rather than face grave suffering is immoral? (AS the lawyers would say my thoughts are intended "Without Prejudice" )
No, not at all. I'm saying that "morality" is not something that is innate. It is something that is learned.
However, Marian and Starling75 provide an interesting insight. Very well, so if we accept that "morality" in Man is a by-product of his "evolution" (which only opens yet another can of worms) then can we say his moral code is constant and immutable? Is it infallible? I don't think so, even after tens of thousands of years of evolution ... All one needs to do is study some recent history to bear this out. WWI and WWII were not wars over "religious" principals. Please check the wikipedia citations for either of them. You'll find Militarism, Imperialism and Nationalism to be among the leading causes. These are socio-economic systems created BY men to control and influence men. So much for innate morality.
I find this line to be of particular interest from the Starling75's wikipedia citation:
"The emerging fields of evolutionary biology and in particular sociobiology have demonstrated that, though human social behaviors are complex, the precursors of human morality can be traced to the behaviors of many other social animals. Sociobiological explanations of human behavior are still controversial."
You note the use of words such as "emerging fields" and "controversial" being used to describe the work being done. Sorry, but this explanation of human morality is certainly not "the final word". In fact, I would consider less so as it places humans at the level of "other social animals" to explain the roots of our behavior. Why not? One can look at a family of apes or monkey and draw all the "conclusions" they want. Science, while it proposes to search for truth, runs on speculation, theories and hypothesis.
I think "K" in Men in Black summed it up nicely:
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."
Well gents, if that's the level of "moral superiority" you find comfortable, then what can I say? For myself, I'll set my sights a little higher ...
To answer Marian's questions:
@unknownuser said:
Do you sincerely believe it is moral to continue living when the price of your life is the lives or well being of others?
The "price" of my life is neither the lives nor the well being of others. They will feel as they will and they make their own choices. No one forces them, and neither would I judge them for what they do, or don't do. To be involved in the life of one terminally ill is a personal choice. That being said, I find it infinitely more comfortable to know that I can go to my Lord and find solace in times of anguish and pain instead of some pub to drink myself blind.
@unknownuser said:
Is it moral to continue living at all costs, knowing that you will soon die anyway at the price of increasing the pain of your loved ones?
See above.
Cheers.