Home › good-and-evil › FANDANGO’S PROVOCATIVE QUESTIONS: MORALITY? – Marilyn Armstrong

FANDANGO’S PROVOCATIVE QUESTIONS: MORALITY? – Marilyn Armstrong

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Fandango’s Provocative Question #3


Interesting question, especially interesting because of the connections made by the questioner. There are some leaps made in the questions that suggest from whence cometh the questions.

I do not need a source for a belief in objective morality. Any form of belief is faith. That is the nature of belief versus a provable fact.

And why would I need to choose whose morality is correct? Is there a standard? If you believe morality is subjective, does that inherently mean that you are subject to someone else’s rules or dogma?

Since when?

The nature of a belief is faith. If you don’t believe in God, your belief cannot be proven as true or false. Your lack of faith is as faith-driven as any religious devotion. Unless you have provable evidence and facts, all belief is faith. Bummer.

I believe fundamental morality, knowing right from wrong, is part of our DNA. Failure to know right from wrong is a signal that something has gone wrong with your mental wiring.

Good and evil are not research areas. Moreover, I don’t believe in anyone’s “concept” of morality. I don’t subscribe to rules or dogma.

I have never followed rules and I hate coloring books. Too many lines. That’s probably why I’m poor. It’s also why Garry is poor. We didn’t follow the rules.

Oops.

See my frequently republished story: The Meaning of Everything.

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19 replies

  1. fromsandyknob
    12/02/2018 • 21:55

    Methinks morality is dependent on the mores of you group, belief system and community.., including nationality, spirituality, etc. How does that sound?

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      12/02/2018 • 23:22

      Yes but I also think right and wrong are a given. No group allows theft within its own group, although many have no problems if you steal from OTHER people. Some ‘rights and wrongs” are specific to a tribe, clan, or specific religious/ethnic group. But WITHIN the group, no killing, no stealing, be nice to your parents (define nice). Take care of the old and bury people — don’t just leave them to rot. If you’re going to kill someone, go kill those in the OTHER tribe. They aren’t human — like us.

      I think that’s where all the problems start, you know?

      Like

  2. copd4real
    11/30/2018 • 15:00

    Enjoyed both articles of thought, and appreciate your ability to explain my agnosticism much better than I have been able to do to date. Thank you. (And, yes, I feel a blog coming on, LOL).

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      11/30/2018 • 18:03

      I was effectively a philosophy major in college. Actually, though — just so it won’t sound as confusing — I actually completed a degree in speech and drama, but I was one credit short of a complete major in philosophy, sociology, and music. I finished all my requirements in my freshman year and each year, I tried a new major. I was trying to avoid graduating since I wasn’t ready to get my degree, but I made a mistake in speech/drama and they made me graduate. DRAT.

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Melanie B Cee
    11/30/2018 • 14:56

    I get excessively tired of folks always insisting on ‘proof’. Sometimes no proof is available, it’s a gut feeling or a small voice whispering in your mind (which may make one sound loony, so it’s best to keep that one to oneself). But I did enjoy your post, and your view of that very complex question. Mr. Fandango does come up with some real interesting ones.

    On the remark of “poor”… I heard something once that has always stuck with me:
    You didn’t plan to fail, you failed to plan. Well I’d say we didn’t factor in some greedy and imbecilic ‘leaders’ who have wrested that last dime from our cold dying hands either.
    I know folks who planned and lived frugally and did the ‘right’ things towards saving for their old age, and they’re in the same boat as the rest of us.

    As another take on this question (in a way)…Ursula at “An Upturned Soul” wrote a post today that explores why we should listen to our gut feelings more.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      11/30/2018 • 18:06

      We supported Garry’s mom, we supported my son and his family, we took care of people who needed a home to live in … we just didn’t really take care of ourselves. We should have paid less attention to other people and more to us, but I can’t bring myself to regret it. We helped a lot of people over many years.

      Liked by 2 people

  4. swo8
    11/30/2018 • 14:56

    It’s all too profound for me at the moment.
    Leslie

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Fandango
    11/30/2018 • 14:33

    Sounds good. I’ll take a look.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Fandango
    11/30/2018 • 11:41

    “If you don’t believe in God, your belief cannot be proven as true or false. … Unless you have provable evidence and facts, all belief is faith.” The reason I don’t believe that God exists is precisely because there is no provable evidence that God does exist. If someone could show me definitive proof of God’s existence, I would change my mind in a heartbeat.

    Like

  7. Sadje
    11/30/2018 • 09:45

    You are right! Faith is the basis of belief.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      11/30/2018 • 10:24

      That’s why it’s a belief and not evidence. A lot of what we consider “proof” really is scientifically-backed conjecture. It is the “best guess” of a community that works hard to learn the truth, but in the end, we can’t prove everything. It doesn’t make all scientific hypotheses wrong, but there are many things too abstract to become objective and fact-based.

      Belief is definitely one of those.

      Liked by 2 people