Reply #12: Its a naturally occurring social problem [View All]

[Az]

Morality and ethics are derived in society by a collective understanding based on a number of sources. Personal experience, projection, learned traditions, religious doctrine, and increasing understanding of our nature.

In a static society there is oppression of the individual. The morals and ethics are fixed but there are inevitably individuals that are oppressed by such a system. Independent thinking or behaviour not approved by the fixed doctrine are taboo and considered evil. In time such a system will collapse as individuals are exposed to more and more new ideas.

Thus our progressive society came about after 1000s of years under a fixed doctrinal control. A new progressive and humanist society rose from the ashes. New insites were added to our understanding. What was considered moral was perceived to be immoral and things that were once immoral were recast as moral.

But progressive society have the inverse problem that plague static societies. Over time factions of those that hold to static sources of morality and ethics accumulate. They initially provide resistance to progress and may even cause some ideas to be dashed before they are accepted by a critical number in the society.

As the differences between the fixed morality and dynamic morality increases the stress and anger increases. If the social pressures of the progressive aspects of the society do not overwhelm the fixed doctrines the adherants may rebel in time. They will have no other choice. They cannot voluntarily abandon their beliefs and they cannot stand idlely by while they percieve what they believe to be evil being down.