Let's have some disussion on morals. Philosophers throughout history have studied morals. I admit I haven't time to read up on the subject yet, but it's a lot of fun to see what people think. I'm sure I will learn much just by your all responding to this topic. How do you define morals? How does it work? How do morals form, historically? What is the nature of morals? What are some things that throughout history have been very important in defining morals?

You are not the only one interested in morals it seems.
This past week-end a young friend of mine attending college in Birmingham, Alabama e-mailed me and said this is a topic of study.
He asked me how I determined my morals. I responded that I merely try not to allow my statements or actions to cause another person mental or physical harm or discomfort.
He wanted to know if my morals had religious background. My response was no. Only my common sense prevailed.

Some historians say that morality was on the side of those with the largest army.
If this statement is true then fear might effect ones outward morality. but, even in this element I personally believe that a persons true beliefs of morality would go unchanged. They may just have to be temporarily hidden.

Moral behavior is usually defined as that which is good or just. Some morals are internal while others are taught to us by the society in which we live. The internal ones are regulated by a person's conscience and are of the most basic kind. We don't kill because we have an instinctive aversion to killing members of our own species, and to a lesser degree an aversion to killing in general. This moral feeling can be overcome in situations where our survival is at stake, or in the case of the military, by rigorous psychological conditioning, but only because we can be convinced that in the case of war, killing is good or just.

Similarly in this country, we would consider it wrong to deprive another of his freedom, but if they commit certain acts that we deem immoral or illegal, we may do so to protect ourselves from them.

Ultimately it would seem that all morals derive from a sense of self protection. We feel it's wrong to kill or steal because it's obvious that these present a threat to our ability to survive, but in some cases that threat is not so obvious, yet we consider certain acts "immoral" nonetheless. Adultery is considered "immoral" yet the threat to families or to our own psyches is a not quite a tangible one. Still, it is perceived as a threat. Lying is immoral because it threatens our ability to perceive reality. Morals are often defined by the society we live in, and vary widely from culture to culture, but are always taught as a way to "protect" society. In the US we would consider immoral the act of amputating the hand of someone caught stealing, but in some Muslim countries this is considered completely moral.

There are some morals that are common to all cultures such as moral injunctions against killing or stealing, but these may be applied in some cases only to members of the immediate tribe or societal group, and there may be no similar injunction against inflicting such harm on someone from outside the group. Similarly there are almost always exceptions to any moral rule that allow such behavior in the proper circumstances, such as killing in self-defense, or war, or stealing a loaf of bread to avoid starvation.

As far as the source of moral behavior goes, I would have to say that it's mostly instinctual. We have an instinctual aversion to killing other humans, and an instincual desire to live in groups. These have led to the formation of formal rules of behavior so that not only can we live in groups and not harm one another, but we have moral codes designed to make us help one another. These behaviors have a basis in the instinctual desire to protect the species as a whole. We may even put ourselves in danger in order to help a fellow human.

I think moral behavior is the responsible, respectful way to conduct your life both spiritually and in everyday communications and lifestyle.