What dictates taboo and what is good?

Jester · Post by **Jester** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:05 pm

It came up another topic it might be good to discuss the reasons why we believe the ethics that we believe.
Questions:
Is there any logical grounding for ethics, that some behavior is inherently right or wrong regardless of human opinion?
What is the basic source of ethics? A deity? Evolutionary biology? Social constructs? Some combination of these? Something else?

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:03 pm

scottlittlefield17 wrote:The Bible is the base from which all ethical decision should be made. Otherwise ethics are different for everybody which would defy the idea of ethics completely. If we have no foundation to work from we will get absolutely nowhere.

This is false. There are a number of different suggested foundations for ethics. What is it that makes yours the only valid one?

The Bible is not a good ethical guidebook. It fails on a number of issues.

scottlittlefield17 · Post by **scottlittlefield17** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:08 pm

I knew that somebody as going to say something to that effect. But unless we agree on a a foundation how will we ever agree to the finer points? I don't think it is really possible because we would have completely different base viewpoints on the matter.

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:51 pm

scottlittlefield17 wrote:I knew that somebody as going to say something to that effect. But unless we agree on a a foundation how will we ever agree to the finer points? I don't think it is really possible because we would have completely different base viewpoints on the matter.

OK. Let's agree that our common humanity and our continued habitation on this planet is the foundation. I cannot think of too many who would disagree on that as a starting point. Certainly fewer people than would agree on the Holy writings of the minority of humanity as a foundation.

scottlittlefield17 · Post by **scottlittlefield17** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:58 pm

What exactly are we debating? Ethics is a very broad subject.

McCulloch · Post by **McCulloch** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:23 pm

scottlittlefield17 wrote:What exactly are we debating? Ethics is a very broad subject.

I think we are debating the basis for ethics. You claim that it is a book, said to be given to humanity by the creator god and I say that it should be something more based on what we can all agree on.

scottlittlefield17 · Post by **scottlittlefield17** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:40 pm

Give me something we can all agree on. Cannibals are not going to agree that murder is wrong just because you ask them to. KISS is not going to agree that being sadomasochistic is wrong. There is nothing that all can agree on unless there is a base that something higher has set up.

TXatheist · Post by **TXatheist** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:10 pm

scottlittlefield17 wrote:KISS is not going to agree that being sadomasochistic is wrong.

Where in the world did that come from? You think KISS are sadomasochists? We're talking about the band, right?

scottlittlefield17 · Post by **scottlittlefield17** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:22 pm

Yes i am talking about the band. What are the chains whips and leather for. What about Simmons who said "cycles and whips, just all the things little girls dream about" also he said his love techniques are "deliciously painful things that make you writhe and groan in ecstasy".

TXatheist · Post by **TXatheist** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:48 pm

scottlittlefield17 wrote:Yes i am talking about the band. What are the chains whips and leather for. What about Simmons who said "cycles and whips, just all the things little girls dream about" also he said his love techniques are "deliciously painful things that make you writhe and groan in ecstasy".

I have followed the band since I was about 5 and I can tell you that most of what you see and hear is for show. These are Gene Simmons' words from his own web site in reply to an email someone wrote in:

Gene Simmons wrote:Thank you for the kind words. But to clarify -- 1. Don't marry your girlfriend. Buy her a house. It'll be cheaper for you and she'll love you more for it NOW. ...and 2. There IS NO secret. That's because everyone is an individual. A sado-masochist will not like what I like and vise versa (as an extreme example). However, what I CAN say is, life is short and better to live your life by YOUR rules...not anyone else's.

And unless you have evidence that shows every member of KISS is a sadomasochist, it is dishonest to accuse the group like that.

scottlittlefield17 · Post by **scottlittlefield17** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 4:01 pm

OK, I get your point but you have to admit they leave a very sadomasochistic image. And seem to glorify it. Whether they actually do it or not doesn't matter as much as they portray it as "cool".