LAWLzoR

Where did morality come from? Why is it so important to us? How did and does it effect us?

1) Morality most likely came from what we individually felt was right or wrong. Back when humans were still in the hunter-gather model, people probably thought stealing from the collection of food they have gathered for the day was deemed as "wrong" and punishments may have been entailed. This evolved further when religion was gaining speed. Even in religions today, what is viewed as wrong or right can be seen as anything against what the deity or god said is wrong, and anything that obeys his or her commands is seen as right. When the Enlightenment came around sometime in the 1600s, morals were then viewed again by a secular (non-religious) light. Morality was still being viewed under the light of religion but secular ideas on morality gained more power when the Enlightenment in Europe happened. Ever since then morality has been viewed under the same secular and religious lights. No new views have gained any traction on the general public since.

2) It's important to us because it helped us judge character in the ancient and pre-historic times. If someone somehow indicated to us that they thought stealing from the collection of food that we have all worked for was okay, we would all try to avoid that person and protect our food, because it meant a longer survival. it meant that we would live more comfortably and more securely. It also helped us be protected against "evil", "impure", or dangerous people. If someone thought that killing someone for the fun of it was okay I'm sure all of us would be scared or worried for our own safety. if anyone's ethics or morality was different than our own, or our society's, we would probably be concerned or worried about it, because these ideas are new, they conflict with our already set views, and could do things that we don't know. This is where the fear of the unknown kicks in. We fear or hesitate to do things that are abnormal, socially awkward, or different because we don't know what will happen, and we could lose our already developed social status with our friends, co-workers, and any other person we developed a bond to.

3) It affects us in some major ways. Most of the countries in the world have some sort of laws based around ethics or morals. These ethics or morals also change from country to country, state to state, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, household to household, and even person to person. It also gives us a guideline on what we should do in certain situations. If we had an urge to hit an innocent person because our mood is very angry or upset, we would refrain from doing so because it's against our morals, and more than likely against the law. This is why some people won't swear, won't yell, won't break laws, or won't do certain things, because our morals dictate what we should and should not do. When I use the word dictate, I don't mean it in a bad way. More than likely it'll help us in a good way. It might protect us from the influence of violent or aggressive people, or protect us from habits and customs that are dangerous to our and our society's health. When I mean dictate, I mean it has a very strong grasp on what we do. Morals can change as time passes, but during a set time morals really do control us more than we might think.