(Work in progress)
| Every society needs some form of moral code. But you cannot derive morality from a set of scientific principles or logical deductions - it must, somehow, be 'given'. |
There is a widespread view these days that religion has passed its 'sell by' date. It is, depending on who you speak to, 'no longer credible', 'disproved by science', 'not required', 'a crutch', and 'a source of bigotry and irrationality'.
The interesting thing is that all these viewpoints claim 'rationality' or 'logic' is on their side, and then go on to affirm the need for morality. They sometimes go on to claim that people become more moral when they are freed from the shackles of religion. They often speak from personal experience as people trying to live good lives without any belief in a God 'peering down from the clouds'.
What is the connection, if any, between religion and morality? Do you need to believe in a God or eternal damnation in order to be able to distinguish between right and wrong? And why does it matter anyway?
The fact is, there are different kinds of religion, just as there are different kinds of morality and different kinds of civilisation. The differences between them are as important as the similarities. For most people, each word means something quite specific, and it is often hard to grasp that the specific meaning it has for me is not the same as the specific meaning it has for you.
If somebody steals, we tend to put them in prison. A Muslim country, would tend to cut their hand off. These are both examples of morality at work. Are they efectively the same, simply pavlovian conditioning to discourage unwanted behaviour? Does it make any difference which is adopted? Is one course of action better than the other? How do you judge between different moralities? Is it a moral choice or a practical one?
It is clear that different religions produce different moralities and thus different civilisations.
What we understand by 'morality' is mostly a set of values.
We can understand 'morality' as (1) a set of beliefs about the nature of the world we live in; (2) a set of values which tell us what things matter, and how much they matter in relation to each other; and (3) guidelines which tell us how to apply the values to the real life situations we find.
Take the example of the beggar in the street. Most of us hold a value that says people should not be made to go hungry. But you may believe that people choose to be beggars, in which case there is no obligation to give money. You may believe there is sufficient hostel accomodation, so all the money given will be spent on what is not provided in the hostels - ie., alcohol - so there is an obligation not to give money. Or you may believe that people are made destitute by forces they cannot control, and that the state fails to care for many of them, in which case there is a moral obligation to give some money. Whether or not you do so. These are all beliefs which can, to a certain extent, be tested, and hence can be used equally by believers and non believers.
Other beliefs, such as reincarnation, also affect the nature of morality. If you believe that this person is suffering as an inevitable consequence of their past behaviour, there is no point in helping them: you would simply be postponing the pain. This is why charities hae been started by Christians and not by Buddhists. You cannot form an opinion on such matters without delving into the area of the spiritual.
You certainly cannot have any sort of morality without a set of values. These values are of necessity not things which can be proved or demonstrated by science. In this area, the non believer is at a distinct disadvantage in attempting to claim rationality. The believer has a rational basis for adopting a set of values, the non believer has very little.
If man is just a biological machine, what does it matter what happens to him?
Civilisation needs morality.
Each civilisation needs a common morality.
Science only deals with the physical world.
Morality requires a belief in something more than the physical world
Morality must be given and received. It cannot be invented.
Crisis Centre