It is often said that religious belief is necessary to offer a framework for moral behaviour. One of the suggested functions of religion, and one reason religious instruction is given to children, is to provide a system of morals. I was brought up in a religious environment, went to religious schools and spent a good deal of my youth praying, singing hymns and listening to religious instruction from the pulpit. I didn’t enjoy it and the lessons taught never took a firm hold in my mind. I was, and still am, ‘stony ground’. Despite being an atheist, I still think that it matters how I treat other people and to a lesser extent how other people treat me. Why is this, and how do I know the behaviours that are ‘right’ and which ones are ‘wrong’?
As a member of a social species that evolved in groups, evolution will have played a part in the development of the moral behaviour of my ancestors. Those traits beneficial to the group will have been passed on and those that were disadvantageous will have been weaned out.
I can learn what works through…
- observation – seeing the effect that certain ways of behaving has on others around me
- empathy – I can imagine the effects of my actions on others
- education – we can learn about cause and effect in the classroom
- experience – I can recall my own feelings about treatment I have received from others
Morality is also common in other social species as the video below, featuring Capuchin monkeys, shows. They are clearly comfortable with their handlers but suffer an obvious sense of outrage when treated unfairly. In the first part of the video they show co-operative behaviour and in the second segment they seem to display a sense of injustice. It is a beautiful experiment.
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