Enki
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A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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All religions are man made institutions which are based on the motives of persons who were power hungry and wanted to control the populous with fear and dogma. Religion is the greatest contributor to violent conflict all over the world due to intolerance of the different denominations.
If a world wide philosophical debate could be launched to discuss these matters and a code of conduct, acceptable to all reasonable persons be established, then the idea of a world peace can become a reality. As long as people justify their sometimes barbaric actions on the basis of some belief system, turmoil will prevail.
Somewhere, someone will be willing to become a so-called suicide bomber because this person beliefs he or she will then be in "paradise".
The end of faith in the justification of these atrocities should become a reality.
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Last Edit: 2010/08/03 08:04 By Enki.
Reason: grammer
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Re:A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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Nothing should replace anything, rather that is just an opinion from one persepctive, just as "certain ethics should replace religion," is.
I would argue that like religion, ethics are CERTAINLY just as much a man made construct. Therefore, whatever construction appears to be functional and promote stability should be fine, be it religion, or the Sartrean existential szpiel, or w.e.
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Enki
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Re:A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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Hi,
I would like to think that although religion and ethics are both man made constructs, religion is based on personal believes (without evidence), ethics is based on sound reasoning. Furthermore religion and all belief systems for that matter, does not appear to be functional on a global basis and from the state the world is in, religion does not always promote stability but rather instigate violence like 9/11 and many other conflicts caused directly because of the fundamentalist attitude of certain religious groups.
On the other hand ethics could promote more stability than religion ever can just because religious groups can so easily turn to violence and even more so if they are convinced that they are "doing what god wants". I think there are many basic ethical codes which all reasonable persons will accept, especially applied ethics.
Regards.
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Re:A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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Granted, I think that's very valid. However, I think this model can be only valid in this particular era of our history. If you ask any historian, without question, Western civilization could not have been sustained and unified without religion, especially in the dark ages.
Regarding this argument, I think it is necessary to accept the fact that such a 'movement to ethics' is only equally as pragmatically useful as religion has once was. It cannot be innately 'better.' Furthermore, in some future period of time, could you not envision a conflict between individuals of differenth ethics....**** that, ethos? I certainly have seen it in my lifetime. And I certainly forsee that it is not immune from conflict like religion is/was.
P.S. I would also contend that 'sound reasoning' is as much a belief as those which justify religion.
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Enki
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Re:A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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Religion may have had a positive influence on more conservative members in the past but i think the era in which we are now in, more than a mere belief system is needed to avoid future violent conflicts and so-called suicide bombers.
One of the very first code of conduct to which all participants of a "ethical model" must subscribe is non violence. Reason must prevail.
Without reason (clear, intelligent thinking) we would be just like automated robots, obeying commandments that were applicable in the distant past.
The danger of violent conflict will always be lurking in the background and only with sustained reasoning and mutual agreement on a non violent approach can there be hope that the current violent conflicts will not escalate. Therefore in this regard applied ethics seem to be better.
Sound reasoning can be differentiated from faith in that the product of reasoning and seeking for peaceful solutions, can be more trustworthy; something that belief systems cannot be seeing that it is mainly based on unverifiable assumptions.
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Re:A code of ethics should replace religion 1 Year, 9 Months ago
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Ok, then yes I agree, now we need something aside religion, but I certainly do not hold 'secular, rational ethics' as a purer entity than those of organized religion.
Personally I think an absolutist statement like "non-violence is a must" is absurd. I think violence and struggle are very necessary in existence, and the dismissal of them is just a powerplay and bias in human social discourse.
Have you ever heard the expression 'immanetize the eschaton?" It appears you base your ideas very much on the idea of a sort of paradise that everyone will like in which everyone will get along. I think you have to accept that not everyone sees things your way and that many do not have...secular ethical beliefs to use your words...that advocate non-violence or ahimsa as you call it. I certainly do, even if I can accept certain human action to be 'violently excessive.'
I think you need a history of reasoning. Not long ago, Descartes was using reason to try to prove that God existed.
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