Or is morality determined by cultures and individuals themselves?
Dear
K9Buck
BOTH.
There are both natural laws governing the human conscience that apply to all people in how we interact in general.
There are RELATIVE languages and cultural norms for different individuals who are each unique, also groups, institutions,
communities and nations.
Just like the laws in math and science are already out there in operation,
but we may express them differently in different situations.
The scientific method may follow the SAME PATTERNS,
but when applied to each experiment the VARIABLES and PARAMETERS change.
Here is a simple example.
All the following expressions are true:
2 + 2 = 4
2 X 2 = 4
2 ^ 2 = 4
if you showed this using blocks, they might all look the same:
Where all 3 equations above would explain these 4 blocks.
That the universal "common thing" they are all being used to represent.
But the three use totally different ways of expression.
The operations of addition, multiplication and exponents are not the same.
But they all explain how you could arrive at the same total,
each going by a different method.
In Religions I point out that ALL systems of laws
tend to REPRESENT basic patterns or relationships:
1. Collective
3. Individual
2. Some level of conscience, LAWS or RELATIONSHIP
between the two the "individual" and the "collective"
So this tends to take the form of
1. ABSTRACT/COLLECTIVE level (that is faith based)
2. PSYCHOLOGICAL level or level of LAWS
3. Individual or PHYSICAL level
So this is a UNIVERSAL construct between people
as social animals who desire democratic decisions
between us as individuals and collective groups, society, community, nations, tribes etc.
We want to AGREE on the rules so we can work together
but still have our say, our free will and input in determining policies that represent us.
Examples:
Christianity
1. God represents totality of laws and truth "for all people and the universe/all creation" (COLLECTIVE ABSTRACT level)
2. Jesus Christ represents Laws of Justice that connect individual behavior with the collective truth/good will for all humanity
3. Holy Spirit represents peace on earth with individuals and humanity on a PHYSICAL level
Buddhism
1. Buddha = individual spiritual awareness of truth
2. Dharma = laws, teachings, or duty
3. Sangha = peaceful order in society or community, collective level
Taoism
1. Body = individual physical level
2. Mind = level of conscience connecting body and spirit
3. Spirit = Collective level joining all humanity and all other things
(see also
Psychology
1. Superego = higher drive above ego and id
2. Ego = drive in the human conscience
3. Id = material or physical drive)
Constitutionalism
1. Judicial = level of interpreting law collectively for everyone for the state or nation
2. Legislative = level of laws governing relations between individuals and collective state or nation
3. Executive = physical level of carrying out laws and executing court orders
Basically the same pattern repeats or is represented which is the purpose
behind laws or religions, to define and manage the RELATIONSHIP
between the
1. Individual/physical level
3. the Collective/abstract level (such as collective society or humanity, collective truth, collective laws, etc.)
by an INTERMEDIARY level
2. of LAWS or individual CONSCIENCE/MIND connecting the other two levels.
