yousa help me ya?

[elven_freckles]

I have a paper I'm supposed to be writing for my ethics class, on the eternal question:

Why Be Moral?Since I am writing generally from a Christian perspective, I need to also give reasoning from a Non-Christian perspective. I have books and essays, all of which give great cases for both theists and athiests to act morally, but if any of you would

Comments

LOLIFESTO

[fringelement]

I agree with Jake on the treating-others-as-you-wish-to-be-treated angle. There's a certain amount of moral blackmail involved in either Christianity-based or secular morality, really. From a Christian perspective, if someone goes around sinning all the time, they go to Hell (unless they repent). In secular thought, if you behave immorally, you will be driven away by other people - because nobody likes to have an immoral jerk around who screws you over all the time. Either way, there's not really any way to stop someone who just decides to be completely antisocial and an asshole - you just have to hope that they don't convince other people that it's cool and okay to be an asshole, or BAM, you'll have 4chan and the next thing you know we'll be having gladiator trials on live TV or something. An then you're screwed, because once somebody has decided that they just want to be an asshole and don't care about the consequences of their actions, there's not really a whole lot you can do about it

LOLIFESTO PART THE SECOND

[fringelement]

Morality is, for me, the decision to act - as best as you can - in the interests of as many people as you can. Not for money, or for pleasure at the expense of others, or to have power over them. To cooperate with those who share your interests, and resist those who would harm others to further their own interests. To not participate, to the best of your ability, in anything that supports actions you find immoral.

I act on my ethics because I believe they are worthwhile, and that the world would be a better (more peaceful and cooperative) place if people shared them. I don't hold other people to standards any higher than I hold myself, because I dislike hypocrites and don't want to be one. Besides that - and here we go for more blackmail - being a hypocrite would completely undermine any message I put forth, because nobody else likes hypocrites either.

....and that's why I'm an anti-authoritarian, anti-consumerist vegan, THE END.

I'll you on your shit