Arguments on the Framework of Morality: A discussion on if we need God to define good & evil.

I must admit I am EXTREMELY busy this week so my arguments unfortunately will not be as flesh out and well defined as I would prefer, especially for this debate. Hence, this will be pretty much a first draft right from my head argument. My Arguments: I will present a few different arguments as to why god is not necessary for morality. The first will be an adaption of Descartes Med. 2 regarding deception on gods’ part. I do change it up quite a bit but use very similar logic, as I have found no other logic to be as sound. This argument will serve as a statement/ question on whether god can be a suitable moral authority, and if he is not wouldn’t that imply that human morality originated from us. The next, I will question if god himeself is moral. This will be much like if we were to take the bible at face value as an account of the actions and will of god and put him on trial with his own inspired writings as evidence. Here I will play a part of the analogous prosecutor giving an opening statement. Finally a rational, secular reason for why we have evolved morality; in essence this is where the definition of morality, and thus good and evil, will come into play heavily. Definitions: Definition of evil: Profoundly immoral, and not beneficial to humanity Definition of good: Morally righteous, just and fair, benevolent and beneficial to humanity I feel that with different angles for which to provide arguments for I will hopefully give a good debate, even though I feel it will be in some way wanting a polish or two (or three or four…. 10 etc…) A meditation revisited: I would like to note that god’s perfection is a quality of the being that theists do not disputed and is clear in the bible in a number of places Deuteronomy 32:4 and Psalm 18:30 come to mind. God: The creator, possessor of dominion over the universe and all it contains; a being that is matter of fact all-knowing, immutable, perfectly good and thus a moral authority, and necessarily existent. Exodus 20:4-5 the idea of a jealous god, jealousy a very human trait, is admitted to by the lord himself. A trait that is imperfect in us & you can argue that jealousy is a symptom, or caused by our possession of freewill, and that would be a statement I would entertain in another debate. Regardless, we certainly wouldn't say it’s a quality that bolsters our desire to seek perfection in ourselves. A logical argument would be that perhaps jealousy is not an imperfection. For that I propose the following arguments: Jealous: Feeling or showing envy [1] Envy: feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. [1] 1 Necessarily, the will to be Jealous is Envy. 2 Necessarily, God is not envious. 3 Necessarily, God lacks the will to be jealous. èGod is all perfection, thus Jealousy is an imperfection since not in possession by god. 1 A perfection is a quality. 2 An imperfection is the lack of a quality. 3 Goodness is all perfections 4 So, goodness is a quality. 5 Jealousy is an imperfection. 6 So, jealousy is the lack of a quality. 7 Jealousy is the lack of the quality of goodness. 8 God has all perfections. 9 So, God has all qualities. 10 God has no imperfections. 11 So, God lacks no qualities. 12 God has the quality of goodness. èGod cannot be jealous, as jealousy is an imperfection. However, he admits that he is a jealous god. From this we can take away a few thoughts: either the god of the bible is not the true god or we must conclude that god is a perfect being that consist of imperfect qualities. Assuming the god of the bible is the one and only god as written in his inspired texts god, admits to the imperfection of jealousy. If he is imperfect doesn't that constitute a lack of ability hold ultimate moral superiority since the judgment may also consist of imperfection? Furthermore, if god is not a moral authority, wouldn't we be able to decide for ourselves what morality is collectively and thus other than for creation, we owe nothing to the being that is god save for the relative thanks we give our parents for creating us as children? Finally doesn't this leave open the possibility that the being we call god is in fact evil? If that possibility even exists, what are the implications for belief, worship and deeds of religious fulfillment and moral obligations? To close this section, if it is possible that the moral authority of god is compromised, it would follow that any moral grounds we lay (which may also be compromised due to our own imperfection) originated from ourselves and required no god to deliver. The Trial: Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. [2] Nation is: a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history. [3] According to the definition, genocide has occurred when such conditions are met; reason is not one of the conditions for an act to be genocide. Even if the punishment was righteous, it would still qualify via criteria met as genocide. Sodom and Gomorrah citizens shared at least culture (since the whole of the people, save for the Sodomite Lot, had been corrupt, a corrupt culture is still a culture), & more than likely since this was a large permanent settlement, the majority shared descent and a history, making them a national group. The definition of nation clearly grants Sodom and Gomorrah the title. If nothing else the act of genocide on Gomorrah alone (where no one was spared) is reason enough to call god immoral/ evil. If god can commit an act we deem as immoral today, would that not be an example our own ability to create a moral framework for ourselves and again ask, if we can conjure this ability within us, what need do we have of god to deliver it. An evolution of Morality: In natures’ course for humanity, evolution chose via natural selection the most beneficial to the race as a whole. Although not an exact procedure, nature with time produces what anyone would call beautiful and ingenious methods for the promotion of life. To quote the writers of Jurassic park”Life finds a Way. ” We are the results of millennia of life finding a way to get us here. Had nature not chosen the best of us, those who would benefit the race the most in its prominence, we simply wouldn’t exist in the way we do. Because of this, I support the claim that good is what is most beneficial for entirety of the race, and evil what is not. The Logic: 1 without the trait of ingenuity we humanity would not have invented tools 2 ingenuity is beneficial since it made hunting easier 3 if hunting is easier more food for more people 4 more people procreating the higher the chances for strong offspring 5 stronger offspring is beneficial to life, as weak often succumb to myriads of death 6 examples of traits that are beneficial to life are good 7 without good traits life would dwindle to near extinction 8 thus good must be passed through generations èExamples of good traits are evolutionarily favored How’s morality a trait? Trait: A genetically determined characteristic. [1] It’s not in our evolutionary best interest to kill ourselves. Our evolutionary reflexes prevent us from drowning ourselves on purpose without help. Reflexes are a trait. I propose that morality is a trait as it prevents us from destroying our own race, without help (nukes). Like reflexes, we are evolutionarily/ genetically built aid proliferation our race. I am literally low of character (a limit that is unavoidable) I wish I could go on, but luckily there things to cite! ! [5][6][7][8] [1] Google dictionary search [2] Funk, T. Marcus (2010). Victims' Rights and Advocacy at the International Criminal Court [3] World Book Dictionary [4] Jeff Goldblum - Jurassic Park (1993) [5] Sam Harris - The Moral Landscape [6] Daniel Dennett (assorted writings) [7] . http://plato.stanford.edu... [8] . http://fair-use.org...