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The Evolution of Morality

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Sophrosyne

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Good points. Evolution I feel is not satisfactory to explain a concept that puts selflessness and others before ourselves. It doesn't fit the naturalistic evolutionary model.
The fact we have people on the planet that are not civilized and that do tremendously immoral things amongst themselves and others yet if you took a child from one of these tribes and raised it in a moral civilized society it would function about the same. This in itself says that morality is not necessarily evolved but taught to those who don't know it.
 
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Sophrosyne

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When we, as a society, decide to.
The fact there are societies that don't decide to is proof morality is not a part of evolution. We have had throughout history the most civilized nation do the most immoral acts and some of the least civilized nations do moral acts surpassing those nations and yet you want to say... it is part of evolution?
 
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Papias

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Sophrosyne wrote:

yet if you took a child from one of these tribes and raised it in a moral civilized society it would function about the same. This in itself says that morality is not necessarily evolved but taught to those who don't know it
.

Research has shown that other primates have many components of our morality, and they weren't raised in a civilized society. Just google "ape morality research" or some such. Evolution has indeed equipped us and other primates with the framework of a moral code.

+ Soph & Once wrote:


Both these statements are spoken out of ignorance of the research done in these areas. Statements that ignore the vast work in a field make us Christians look willfully ignorant, and give support to views that Christians are gullible ignoramuses, which hinders our attempts to spread the gospel.

The research is available with a little looking. To make it even easier, it has been summarized in a book. To make that even easier for you, here is a link for that book. It makes a good Christmas gift if asked for. It will help you witness to know something before voicing an opinion on it.


The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology: Robert Wright: 9780679763994: Amazon.com: Books


In Christ-

Papias
 
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Oncedeceived

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Once wrote:




I was joking. By including a subjective term in your claimed "objective" principle, it makes it subjective, just as including "legal" in your definition made it subjective by country or time.

I didn't use legal in my definition. I used unlawful. I could leave it out but it would not show that there is a subjective and objective combination. The objective is that killing is wrong if it is not justified. The justified is what takes on subjective elements. Justified is different in different societies but the objective element stays the same.


Originally Posted by biggles53
That has no explanatory power biggles.



Linking books does nothing in the way of a debate. If you can't summarize or argue the premise it is a mute point. If you can show how morality can and has been tested to prove that there is no objective morality then by all means present it.



The tribe is made up of those who matter to you.

So if only your family matters to you...what then?


Which we do not see worldwide.
 
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Golden Yak

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Good points. Evolution I feel is not satisfactory to explain a concept that puts selflessness and others before ourselves. It doesn't fit the naturalistic evolutionary model.

I posted how it actually does earlier on in the thread. I'll quote it:


From page 4.



This is actually a good point - it shouldn't be underestimated how much of behavior is imparted through learning and interactions and not purely a matter of what chemicals are in your genes. Evolution can give you a capacity to learn but some of what you learn has to come from elsewhere - I just think it comes from people figuring stuff out over time rather than a supernatural source.
 
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Papias

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Once wrote:

didn't use legal in my definition. I used unlawful.

That's what "unlawful" means - that it is against the law, which is the same as illegal. We are entitled to our own opinions, but not to our own definitions. Thanks for the clarification, however.

The justified is what takes on subjective elements. Justified is different in different societies but the objective element stays the same.

Yes, the "objective element", as in "don't do bad things". It looks like we've said all we can on this one.

Linking books does nothing in the way of a debate. If you can't summarize or argue the premise it is a mute point.

I did summarize it, several pages ago. And "mute" is not the same as "moot".


If you can show how morality can and has been tested to prove that there is no objective morality then by all means present it.

Fair enough. I simply don't have the time or enthusiasm right now, so I won't defend the point besides pointing out resources. Here is one more.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-nature-nurture-nietzsche-blog/201005/did-morality-evolve

However, the bottom line is still the same - if we, as Christians, are to honor the name of Jesus, we need to show society that we are informed, responsible and reasonable. If we come across is too lazy to do some looking and learning ourselves, ask others to do the work to teach us, and spout claims and ask others to disprove them, we can rightly expect them to wonder what kind of religion would teach us to be intellectually stunted, and we'll have to explain to Jesus one day why we spent our lives besmirching his Holy Name.

The tribe is made up of those who matter to you.
So if only your family matters to you...what then?

Then you act like our paleolithic ancestors did, and you have no place in our modern society.


I see this expansion of "who we care about" as a very good thing.
Which we do not see worldwide.

Not yet, of course. But for 100,000 years, we've been expanding our circles of care, especially in the last three centuries.

Papias
 
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HitchSlap

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Yes, humans are capable of committing unspeakable atrocities. Yet, ultimately, as societies evolve, so do their morals and values.
 
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Oncedeceived

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Perhaps Papias you are too concerned about the way you look to unbelievers. Ignorance is not the same as being unconvinced of something that someone claims to be true.
 
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Sophrosyne

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I don't need to google anything, My point is still valid trying and framework of a moral code is nonsense because we still have tribes out there that kill each other (murder) and that framework does nothing to stop it just as it does nothing to stop dogs from killing other dogs and other animals and even humans. ALL must be "taught" to not do things but they can still be taught to do immoral things so the framework does NOTHING either way.
I don't need to be insulted to know that the "field" of science that is dealing with evolution is always going to try and prove evolution. It is biased from the start and evolution trying to equate morality flies in contrast to the Biblical stories of evil that men do without a moral guide OTHER than men. Noah is a classic example of immorality that evolution failed to inspire with its so called framework. I take it pretty much literally as far as all but a very few were so evil God wanted to wipe them out (and did). Evolution would have us believe that the Noah tale was 100% false including the absolute LACK of morality amongst all but Noah and his family.
I'm sorry but
The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology? That title alone says it all to me...... hogwash.
 
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Oncedeceived

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Once wrote:



That's what "unlawful" means - that it is against the law, which is the same as illegal. We are entitled to our own opinions, but not to our own definitions. Thanks for the clarification, however.

Your welcome.



Yes, the "objective element", as in "don't do bad things". It looks like we've said all we can on this one.

To each their own.


I did summarize it, several pages ago. And "mute" is not the same as "moot".

Good catch, thanks.

Fair enough. I simply don't have the time or enthusiasm right now, so I won't defend the point besides pointing out resources. Here is one more.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-nature-nurture-nietzsche-blog/201005/did-morality-evolve

I'll take a look and let you know if anything in there would "prove" anything.

However, the bottom line is still the same - if we, as Christians, are to honor the name of Jesus, we need to show society that we are informed, responsible and reasonable.

I 100% agree.


Are you chastising me Papias? Disagreement is not ignorance.
Then you act like our paleolithic ancestors did, and you have no place in our modern society.

So if we are just evolved organisms that are a product of our chemical brains, how do you determine that they would not have a place in our modern society? How do you proclaim that they are unworthy of a place in society if morality is subjective?




Not yet, of course. But for 100,000 years, we've been expanding our circles of care, especially in the last three centuries.

Papias
 
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Oncedeceived

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HitchSlap

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Sorry, but your apparent understanding of morality comes across as uninformed opinion.

What of the US tribe murdering the Afghanistan tribe? Is that moral? Under what framework would this fall?
 
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Sophrosyne

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Sorry, but your apparent understanding of morality comes across as uninformed opinion.

What of the US tribe murdering the Afghanistan tribe? Is that moral? Under what framework would this fall?
If you are discussing morality relative to evolution then the US tribe has every right to wipe out the Afghan tribe, as survival of the fittest is the morality of evolution.
 
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HitchSlap

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If you are discussing morality relative to evolution then the US tribe has every right to wipe out the Afghan tribe, as survival of the fittest is the morality of evolution.

That is not what "survival of the fittest" means. The fitness of an organism refers to the health of a genome and what advantages it confers upon it.

Either you're putting me on, or I'm right about your opinions as uninformed.
 
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Sophrosyne

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That is not what "survival of the fittest" means. The fitness of an organism refers to the health of a genome and what advantages it confers upon it.

Either you're putting me on, or I'm right about your opinions as uninformed.
So if two male animals fight over a female animal and one is killed by the other and the one that survives mates with the female that isn't survival of the fittest? In the case of the two tribes we have two fighting over resources and safety of their people if one kills the other off then their offspring survive and carry on while the other... doesn't.
 
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HitchSlap

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"Darwin first used Spencer's new phrase "survival of the fittest" as a synonym for natural selection in the fifth edition of On the Origin of Species, published in 1869.[2][3] Darwin meant it as a metaphor for "better designed for an immediate, local environment", not the common inference of "in the best physical shape".[4] Hence, it is not a scientific description.[5]"

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help.
 
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Golden Yak

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If you are discussing morality relative to evolution then the US tribe has every right to wipe out the Afghan tribe, as survival of the fittest is the morality of evolution.

I think you're confusing 'evolution producing behavior and concepts of morality' with 'evolutionary mechanisms as morality.'
 
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