On 3 Sep 2008, at 23:08, Andrew Crystall wrote: > On 2 Sep 2008 at 19:07, William T Goodall wrote: > >> I think that our capacity for ethics comes from our social animal >> nature but that telling good from bad comes from thinking about >> ethics >> using our intelligence. > > Per Dawkins, animal group behavior works out essentially selfish in > the genetic sense. This isn't of course a bar to forming ethics, but > it does create issues extending them outside your "tribal grouping" - > most animals don't form the larger sort of associations Humans do.
As I said the capacity is innate but we can and do elaborate it using our intelligence. The primitive ethics of tribes and religions is extended by moral and political philosophy to include more abstract concepts of justice and fairness. > > >> And if it's like mathematics it raises the question would aliens >> develop the same ethics as us? > > At least part of our ethics comes from our perceptive organs and our > social and biological interaction mechanics. I think it's fair to > assume that aliens would differ in these at least slightly and the > ethical systems may vary. I was thinking that despite the differences in the underlying mechanisms our hypothetical aliens might begin to reach similar conclusions once they applied more advanced thinking to the subject. > > >> Fortunately people don't spend much time arguing about which language >> is 'best' ;-) > > They don't? Heh. > Obviously Objective C is best Maru "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish." - Albert Einstein -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
