Posted by Estella on May 21, 2006, at 1:12:03
In reply to Re: please rephrase that » teejay, posted by Declan on May 20, 2006, at 21:43:50
> I happen not to agree with Estella's point of view,
good :-)
> but it beats me how anyone could find it hurtful.
yeah beats me too... don't get me wrong i'm sorry when people feel hurt in response to my posts i didn't mean to hurt anyone by my comment... but i guess i am having a little trouble seeing why people find it hurtful...
> I don't agree with it because I think we are dangerous primates who need religion to keep us in line.
ah...
there was this fear that without religion people would disintigrate back to a life where things are 'nasty brutish and short' because there would be no incentive for morality without the threat / incentive of punishment / reward from a creator god...
but that has simply turned out not to be the case...
athiests manage to conduct themselves about as well as people from a variety of religions with respect to contracts and promises and so on and so forth... at least... to the best of my knowledge. i don't see any correlation between membership of an established religion and empecable moral behaviour.
i've just started reading this book "Passions Within Reasons: The Strategic Role of the Emotions". It is great :-) Has been fairly influential. He talks about the evolution of cooperative behaviour and about how emotions are important for moral behaviour and about how moral behaviour... if that which promotes cooperation. because basically... we do a lot better by cooperating than we would do on our own... and so evolution can select for altruism. i can't hope to summarise at this point. but i reccomend having a look...
poster:Estella
thread:642679
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060417/msgs/646446.html