Tenets of Morality
MORALITY is difficult to define. Some people insist that the Bible be the sole definer of morality. Where does that leave everyone else who sees the Bible as just another book?
So I asked ChatGPT…
My prompt: “please list the non-religious tenets of morality”.
BingChat said: Here are some non-religious tenets of morality:
1. **Empathy**: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others is a cornerstone of morality. Empathy allows us to recognize the impact of our actions on others and to act accordingly.
2. **Compassion**: Compassion is the desire to alleviate the suffering of others. It is closely related to empathy and is an essential component of moral behavior.
3. **Fairness**: Treating others fairly and impartially is an important aspect of morality. This includes treating people equally regardless of their race, gender, religion, or any other characteristic.
4. **Honesty**: Honesty is the foundation of trust and is essential for healthy relationships. It is also a key component of moral behavior.
5. **Integrity**: Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It involves doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
6. **Responsibility**: Taking responsibility for one's actions is an important aspect of morality. It involves being accountable for the consequences of one's actions and making amends when necessary.
7. **Respect**: Respecting the dignity and autonomy of others is a key component of morality. This includes respecting people's rights, beliefs, and values.
8. **Kindness**: Kindness involves treating others with warmth, generosity, and compassion. It is an essential component of moral behavior and helps to create a more caring and compassionate society.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 2024-01-19
(1) Secular morality - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_morality.
(2) Secular ethics - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_ethics.
(3) Can morality exist without religion? | by Lahcen bounichan - Medium. https://medium.com/@lahcenbounichan/can-morality-exist-without-religion-21222dfeef1e.
(4) 8 Secular Morality and Ethics - Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/book/11828/chapter/160919895.
(5) 8 Sources Of Morality – Nick Byrd, Ph.D.. https://byrdnick.com/archives/16739/8-sources-of-morality.
JOIN the discussion.
I would love to hear comments from my readers.
This list of 8 characteristics of morality can all be found referenced in the Bible but they are not exclusive to the Bible. I understand that most Christians put great stock in the Bible as their source of moral teachings. For these folks, I respect their convictions.
However, Christians are a subset of humanity where religious teachings are concerned. With 4200 religions in the world today, human faith communities are fractured into tribal sects - some large, some small. The Bible is not the universally-accepted source of “religious truth” or the belief in God as the Bible portrays Him.
Separation of Church and State?
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins with these words:
“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:”
Were the Charter authors overly presumptuous in making that statement?
Would every one of Canada’s 40 million citizens agree that it represents his or her own personal beliefs?
Would the Charter by more universally representative if all references to God were removed?
Morality is easy to define, and explain. Immoral people, however, will desperately try to get others to believe the opposite, to fog, to hide their crimes.
The tl;dr is: it's the NAP, the "Non Aggression Principle", ie. simply the *logical* prohibition against initiating physical force against innocent people. It's the same rules that we understood even as kindergarteners - don't hit, don't steal.
For airtight and comprehensive logical explanations of this:
- Universally Preferable Behavior (by Stephan Molyneux)
- Argumentation Ethics (Hans-Hermann Hoppe)
- Estoppel Theory (Stephan Kinsella)
A good discussion at this time of upheavals worldwide.
For me, “ treat others as you would be treated.”
Everyone has a moral compass that they can learn from. Constant turmoil in your life resulting from how you treat others is an indicator that change is required. Stop blaming others and take accountability for your thoughts and actions.
That is a life lesson for all to learn.