[blue-duncan]

"People, as social animals, evolved a moral compass of sorts. It's not a very sophisticated one, but it does endow us with an innate sense of fairness, equips us to be reciprocally altruistic, and dissuades us from, for example, random violence, particularly against kin.

In order to live in more complex societies, we've by application of reason come up with more sophisticated compasses. They are more moral than those of Eichmann and Pol Pot (and Martin Luther, just so we include theistic genocidal lunatics as well) in that they don't call for the slaughter of millions of innocents"

Sorry to come into this so late and don't mean to prolong the discussion, but RWP's comments are interesting. He uses phrases like "evolved a moral compass" and "innate sense of fairness" as if these were biological categories when these just refer to conscience, a moral category that is not passed along in the genes or chemicals. In fact conscience is one of the "witnesses" that there is a unifying law giver that is to be sought and obeyed for the good of all. Otherwise, as has been pointed out in previous posts, each develops his/her own sense of the common good and when it, by chance, agrees with others, there is harmony and peace. When it does not, then there is looting or rioting, anarchy; "every one doing what is right in his own eyes"..

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for your insights!

In fact conscience is one of the "witnesses" that there is a unifying law giver that is to be sought and obeyed for the good of all. Otherwise, as has been pointed out in previous posts, each develops his/her own sense of the common good and when it, by chance, agrees with others, there is harmony and peace. When it does not, then there is looting or rioting, anarchy; "every one doing what is right in his own eyes"..

Indeed, conscience is seen as a witness!

Another special thing about humans as compared to animals is the way we honor the dead. Various cultures, all around the world, for millennia have taken care to be respectful with the corpse whether by burial, fire, etc. And following that, there is a common effort to remember the ones who went before.

[Right Wing Professor]

He uses phrases like "evolved a moral compass" and "innate sense of fairness" as if these were biological categories when these just refer to conscience, a moral category that is not passed along in the genes or chemicals

The statement that is is not present in the genes is belied by evidence, and seems to be merely an unsubstantiated assertion.