Message from @Ehzek
Discord ID: 461352886841114627
Judaism and Christianity aren't Western religions in your definition either
But you're deflecting
Socrates died 399 BC. The oldest discovered "written" law to date was chiseled 2100 BC
But the origin of the current study of morality is based on Socrates
In it, it forbids murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, lying, and so on
Which are mala en se
Things people have always regarded as wrong
So where did the Sumerians get the idea? WHY did people always regard them as wrong?
They got it from intelligence
Where did that intelligence come from?
Those thing have always been short term in their gains and far more detrimental
The intelligence came from learning
Learning how? Reading? So prior to the invention of writing, no morality could exist?
Even animals will not engage in many of those things alone
Oh yes they will
Animals rape, kill, eat each other, steal, a whole list of things
What animal only rapes?
What animals only kill with no need to eat?
Surplus killing is rare in animals
Ducks, geese, bottlenose dolphins, chimps, orangutans
It bears too much risk
And therefore is wrong
Up to half of all matings of orangutans are rape
So if there's no risk, it's right?
Which is a small amount compared to the entire animal kingdom
Its only humans who have developed minds to understand vastly complex risks and benefits that true morals appeared
Risk and benefit doesn't weigh into it
There's very little risk in many immoral acts
There is very little benefit in those acts most likely
Such as lies
I can probably kill someone and take a lot of his shit and get away with it
47% chance of being convicted
But there is greater risk
That's less than half
And that also is taking into account that the vast majority of murderers are dumber than dog shit
If you lied to that same person there is 0 chance of being convicted
Of those same murderer though how many have gone to hell?
Most
The correct answer to that if I remember correctly is that only god could possibly know. Anything else is you assuming you know better than god.
Did God not say, thou shalt not murder?