Right and Wrong?

[Clank]

Hi all, I've never posted in this section before, but this question has been nagging at me for a while:

How do we define right and wrong?

I've thought of a scenario: Say an alien touched down on earth, and was a witness of a (pointless, reasonless) murder. How would we explain to him how we (as a race) can tell the difference?
I figure Humans base the concept around morals, but how do we know our morals are correct?

Discuss?

 

[†Tysonâ€Â]

Probably couldn't really 'define' right and wrong to the alien. Its just social views, we are brought up with it. Just like how you know to eat and drink, we know whats right and wrong coz we know whats for and against the views of the general public.

 

[ninjanoob]

Right and wrong. It all depends on someone's morals. Now what is good and bad is a whole other story. I cbf to type more; 3:49 am .

 

Hi all, I've never posted in this section before, but this question has been nagging at me for a while:

I've thought of a scenario: Say an alien touched down on earth, and was a witness of a (pointless, reasonless) murder. How would we explain to him how we (as a race) can tell the difference?
I figure Humans base the concept around morals, but how do we know our morals are correct?

Discuss?

An excellent question.

The truth is the set of morals you have been taught in your upbringing are patently false. As false as any religion.


Murder, theft, slavery and rape -- the initiation of violence in any situation is deeply immoral. No reason can be given by the initiator of violence which will negate or excuse the immorality of his act.

Thus taxation, war, and conscription are as wrong as (if not more so) theft, murder and taxation. Just because a number of individuals who call themselves the government, or the church, or the army, commit the acts does not change the nature of said acts.

So to your naive alien friend, I would explain that "most human beings are brainwashed into believing violence is good and just when their team commits it, but bad and evil when someone else commits it."

 

[†Tysonâ€Â]

^ Thats what i said, just in really dumb terms that i didn't really know how to explain but understood. hahah .

 

[Easter Bunny2]

An excellent question.

The truth is the set of morals you have been taught in your upbringing are patently false. As false as any religion.


Murder, theft, slavery and rape -- the initiation of violence in any situation is deeply immoral. No reason can be given by the initiator of violence which will negate or excuse the immorality of his act.

Thus taxation, war, and conscription are as wrong as (if not more so) theft, murder and taxation. Just because a number of individuals who call themselves the government, or the church, or the army, commit the acts does not change the nature of said acts.

So to your naive alien friend, I would explain that "most human beings are brainwashed into believing violence is good and just when their team commits it, but bad and evil when someone else commits it."

Well, i'm just going to elaborate a tiny bit on your idea, which is correct.

As you are brought up, you could be taught that murder is good and living people are bad. So then you kill people etc. and to YOU, it may seem a good-to-do deed. But to others it seems like a violent act of crime.

Just like if someone blows themselves up to kill many others, it is bad to some, but good to other.

So, just to elaborate, it is all about the perspective of which the murderer, thief, or any other so-called "criminal" is standing by. So, the stand-point is what matters, there is no right and wrong. All there is is perspective.

 

[david123]

morals=ethics and its what we believe, right and wrong is what human-beings believe to be right and wrong, i don't really believe there to be A RIGHT AND A WRONG, its just ethics of our community and the nature of humans.

 

[Schnell]

Depends on perspective.

You could see this "pointless, senseless murder" as natural selection which in the long run will result in human beings as a stronger, healthier species. As opposed to the situation today, in which we humans have basically managed to halt our own evolution by allowing even the weakest and dumbest of our kind to reproduce.

Note that this is an example, not my personal view.

 

[porman]

What is right and wrong is based on what is socialy exceptable. what is immoral and not is a different story.

 

[Ballin Boi]

I believe that right and wrong is interpreted diffrent by everybody.

This can be influenced by a few things such as:

• Way you are brought up
• The actions around you
• A friends influence
• The time period
• Anything that has happened in your life

Overall Right and Wrong are just points of view different by each and every person.