Absolute Morals?

[LiamOS]

Although this thread was inspired by seeing one of Winepusher's usergroups, all are free to express their opinion.

For debate:
Are there absolute morals? How do we know what these are? can you give examples?

[SailingCyclops]

But this presents us with a few challenges:

- is there a general articluable principle that covers when moral prescriptions are to be overuled?

I think there is a "general articulable principle" involved here which in my opinion has nothing to do with "overruling" anything. Our morals are based in evolution. Those behaviors which have allowed our social species to survive. Survival of the species, of the group, is the ultimate moral perspective. This is instinctive within us. The well-known act of one soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the group, is a purely instinctive act.

- are there other acts that are not absolutely proscribed, e.g. rape, regardless of situation? If a nation, tribe, family or DNA strand needed procreation to survice and women refused, is is morally acceptable to impregnate them forcibly? My conscience recoils at that.

Let's consider your statement above. In the situation where humanity were to be on the brink of extinction, where society itself had collapsed, and our species were struggling, like any other animal struggles to survive. Rape would not be rape. Rape can only be defined within an ordered social structure. Do cats rape other cats? No! They procreate to perpetuate the species. There is nothing immoral for one cat to impregnate another, it's the natural moral process of species survival.

But how, philosophically, does rape differ from stealing regarding situtional context?

It doesn't when survival (species survival in my example above) is at stake. Nothing is absolute in all circumstances. Life is more complicated than that.

Bob

[SailingCyclops]

For my sake and everyone else's, I'll not go there, and would urge you not to to.

Oops! I went there

Bob