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From: davet@oakhill.UUCP (Dave Trissel)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Where do morals come from
Message-ID: <269@oakhill.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Dec-84 04:48:03 EST
Article-I.D.: oakhill.269
Posted: Thu Dec 13 04:48:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 00:28:31 EST
References:  <265@oakhill.UUCP> 
Reply-To: davet@oakhill.UUCP (Dave Trissel)
Distribution: na
Organization: Motorola Inc. Austin, Tx
Lines: 34

In article <1766@umcp-cs.UUCP> mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) writes:
>(1)  What is it that makes you follow whatever moral system you follow?
>     (In other words, why not some other system? or why follow any?)

 Because it seems the most rational way to proceed given my world view.
 I also recognize an inner prompting of some sort to follow it.  That may
 be only because it "clicks" with my world view, or it may be due to some
 less known type of mechanism.  (I favor the "inner knowing" hypothesis.)

>(2)  Do you grant it and external authority?  For instance, does it permit
>     judging someone like Adolf Hitler as morally corrupt?

  In my view, Hitler was "attracted" to the world by the events of the times.
  In blaming him, you fail to take account of the mechanisms which caused
  him to be there.  In effect, only pointing at symtoms. Yes, he was
  morally corrupt, but I find him blameless.  (This should prove to be
  a controversial statement to make!!)

> "(paraphrased) If moral systems are produced internally then why should
>  there be a sense of guilt in not following it?

  That depends on what "guilt" really is.  Guilt could be derived from not
  following a path consistent with your belief system.  We are so complex
  that it may easily be possible for someone to feel guilty without having
  the conscious knowledge of why (since the mechanisms violated would
  be "known" only at a deeper level in the psyche.) This could be
  especially true if during early childhood forgotten "wrong"s and "rights"
  were implanted.

>Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. (* would you kindly translate this?*)

Thanks for your kind attention.

Dave Trissel    {ctvax,seismo,gatech,ihnp4}!ut-sally!oakhill!davet