Oyster, I'm not stupid. If we'd take some IQ tests or something, I believe, I'd win.
omg galt I missed you babe
Also, the implication of morality being a societal construct is that it ceases to carry meaning once you acknowledge it. Maybe the real question is "Is morality necessary for the survival of humanity as a species?".
I was talking about morality as societal construct, and as (mostly) usual I agree with you on the necessity of morality for the whole.
However, the individual does not require morality to maintain a high standard of living so as long as a large majority (at least 70% or so) of the population recognizes and abides by a common moral standard.
Morality (to me, at least) is entirely subjective and changes based on the society you are a member of.
Morality is any societal construct that relies on the obedience and adherence to moral law by the individual for the benefit of the whole.
Oh, mah bad.
A moral act is any act which benefits the society who imposes the moral law that the moral act follows.
hahah moral economics
Galt- following your own standard of self-benefiting morals is amoral because morality itself is derived from both defined and implied societal constraints.
(by my definition)
Society.
Morality isn't necessary for hermits because there isn't anything sentient to help or harm.
However, when societies came about (and I consider more than one individual acting together as
a group to be a society), the establishment of common mores became necessary to ensure the survival and continued progression of the whole.
See what I'm gettin' at? Also, get on IRC in about 8 hours.
auch
you were there but didn't respond
also, self-preservation =/= morality
species preservation = morality
Then you're defining morality as self-preservation, whereas I'm defining it as the preservation of a species (you can't murder or steal from yourself, both of which fall under common moral law set by society). Morality exists to ensure the continued existence of the human race, not the existence of individual humans.
