Re: Absolute Morality
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at the risk of bringing the discussion back to the original topic...
Vhawk, it seems that the term 'absolute morality' is ambiguous and I was just wondering which sense you have in mind. It could mean that morality is a black and white issue, that something is either absolutely correct or absolutely wrong. To deny this would be to accept a grey area in morality, or partial rights and wrongs.
On the other hand, it could mean that what is right and wrong is right and wrong at all places and all times for all people. To deny this is to accept some form of moral relativism, whereby morality is determined entirely or in part by some community.
When this issue comes up, it is normally in regards to this second reading, but many of the posts thus far have seemingly been taking the first reading. If the discussion on the other site is regarding an absolute morality insofar as morality is not relative, I am inclined to agree, though almost certainly not for the same reasons as those you have been discussing this with. Thanks.
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The discussion is primarily about the 'universal' meaning of absolute, although I don't think the two usages are really as different as you make them out to be. The idea is that God is eternal, so any morality derived from God is absolute, unchanging, and everlasting. I don't see much extra value in this, especially when we have no way to figure out a)whether this absolute morality actually exists (this would be identical to proving God exists) or b) that we actually know what it is even if it does exist.
There may very well be some absolute morality somewhere. But we have no way of figuring out what it is. So, we are left with an attempt at morality that is based on human reason and experience, which is really just a relative morality. In practice, absolute morality is meaningless, except as a bludgeon for getting your way. Even in theory, there seems to be little benefit. Is it important for me to be able to say the rapist is ABSOLUTELY wrong? I really just don't want her to rape me.
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