Posted by Tyler on December 27, 1996 at 15:23:02:
In Reply to: bugs and men posted by stephen snead on December 27, 1996 at 09:24:26:
I'm not at all convinced either of the notion that one requires a soul for morality. How do agnostics and atheists refrain from mass murder, as Amanda pointed out? I'd say that there are several reasons, religion notwithstanding. The first may arise from a sense of self-esteem; one cannot bring oneself to the depths of such an act. Another may be the fear of punishment, though it is clear that capital punishment is no more a deterrent than other forms). People want to direct their destiny in their life, and committing such an act puts that control in the hands of another. The rather nebulous term "conscience" in my humble opinion, is perhaps the strongest deterrent. A sane and right-minded person surely feels the dread of hatred directed at you from others. Granted, Dahmer and Jerry Hessler (recently in my state of Ohio) did not have the capacity to feel shame, remorse and alienation. But those people are the most distant exceptions to this rule. If you ever were to carry out a murder, I think that most people here would be incapacitated with the terrible memory of the aftermath of the struggle; your victim's last moment, the lifeless body, not to mention the fear of being apprehended and judged before all (another problem for Biblical literalists).
Psychologists will tell you that even the depraved do not indulge every impulse; desires are held in check by other desires that conflict. Someone's socially destructive behaviour may be repressed by a fear of God, but it is equally likely that the same result can come from a desire to please friends, be held with esteem in their community, or to be able to reflect upon oneself without disgust. BUT, if the person has none of these feelings or capabilities, then the abstract concepts of morality will not affect the individual.
Now Stephen, I do very much agree with you that atheism is the same one-dimensional thinking that plagues a fundamentalist Biblical literalist (read: Creationist). Too often these people reduce the infinite down to something that is comprehensible and can be put on display on a fireplace mantle. These types of people do not think about what they do, they just do it. I have not observed that sort of constipated thought here from anyone, but I see it frequently in my wife's family, as well as in a few of my other contacts. Perhaps my judgement has been poisoned by them, but I make an effort to repel them and look at these things without presumption as best I can. I cannot go with you in saying that the bug is less meaningful than I am. Yes, I am more evolved from a mental and physical standpoint. But if you were to visit here from a distant place, say..... Andromeda, I think that what you consider mundane now would intrigue you. Imagine a class of robots or androids encountering biological life of any sort! I guess that's the issue isn't it? Perception and interpretation.
Incidentally, if you are into Star Trek:TNG, two episodesaddress this issue; The Measure Of A Man, and Silicon Avatar----- check 'em out!