Origins of morality
Morality came to pass without any conversations with angels.
Let's look at theft. Thou shalt not steal - a moral derived from human interaction and discourse.
Lucy-lou went out to the woods and picked a basket of berries. She walked four miles to the location and four miles back again. Upon her return she laid the basket down and went to the river for a swim to cool off and clean herself.
When she came back refreshed and ready to make a berry desert, where are the berries? A thief has taken them.
The culprit was soon found.
Around the campfire that evening they had a heated discussion relating to the theft of her berries. The tree provided the berries for free; she did not pay for them. However, she collected them. She walked a long way to fetch them.
To cut a long story short, they decided that taking what others have foraged without permission will no longer be tolerated. This action will be called ‘theft’.
I ask you this: did the group need to consult an angel or higher being to make a law that says something along the lines of thou shalt not steal? Of course not. These moral codes were enshrined in groups and societies tens of thousands of years before religions were invented.
When we do nice kind things for others, we feel good inside. That feeling can help steer our moral codes.
Morality can get complicated. If the thief claims that the berries were stolen to save a life, save them from starvation, we question whether theft is acceptable or not in certain situations. The answer to that is laid bare in the book.
© IgnoranceParadox 2003 - 2025
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