beliefnet
It
is important to understand that moral behavior is not necessarily "good"
behavior. Morality is simply the selection of behavior that agrees
with the infant's genetic sense of good and bad.
If a very young child is abandoned and
survives, moral actions are those that promote survival. Society may
judge those actions to be dysfunctional and control them but that has
nothing to do with moral development. See Bloom et. al.
A
child brought up by members or a member of an identifiable social group
will associate behavior that promotes the welfare of the group with
"good" and that which is contrary to the welfare of the group as bad.
The morality so developed may or may not be judged moral by a larger
society, but ultimately it seems that compliance with face-group
standards is the natural morality of humans.
Moving up the chain to associations of face groups, either religious or
secular, commandments, laws and rules of behavior are established to
define minimum standards of behavior that promote the welfare of the
larger group. These commandments, laws and rules are not to be confused
with morality, as frequently these commandments, laws and rules will
conflict with the genetic sense of what is good and what is bad as it
relates to the face group. The face group at that point may withdraw to
the extent possible from the larger group. See the Amish and other
Anabaptist groups who live by their own moral standards ignoring the
laws of the larger society except where there is unavoidable conflict.
Or they may be forced to withdraw from the larger group as the Native
Americans were. Again, nothing to do with the morality of the larger
society, simply rules to make the larger society work. One could make a
strong case that the laws of society are by definition immoral as they
force compliance with activities that may be against the morals of
individuals within the larger society.
Once one gets to the Nation or Religious entity morality is simply treason or heresy.
The Hippocratic Oath
6 days ago
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