A Basis of Morality Free from Religions' Grasp

(Estimated reading time: 5 min)

Morality, as can be explained simply, is the concept where a sane human being decides what is "right or wrong" behavior, or what is “socially acceptable” or otherwise, or simply "good or evil." It is a point of many discussions. It is a subject of philosophy, under its branch, ethics, and many thinkers have different thoughts on the matter. The general definition of ethics, or as others call it, moral philosophy, is the study of codes and rules governing the way we behave or act in relation to its effect on another sentient being.

For one, the idea that a higher being is a source of any moral authority should be put into question. To say that an all-powerful being or beings that cause supernatural changes that affect our cosmos and hold us liable for our actions is impossible to put into any tangible analysis. Many thinkers believe that any religious moral code is nothing but an invention to control any other human being and a form of dogmatism full of mysticism and irrationality.

Religious beliefs, regardless of denomination, focus on salvation and/or retribution. And many espouse the idea that humans need to be saved. They all have the doctrine of the afterlife, such as resurrection, incarnation, or rapture. Death is due to sin. Most religious tenets teach that humans must establish a harmonious relationship with a god or deity to gain some sort of reward. But the concept of sin is still a religious or philosophical debate, and the idea by which we humans are held accountable for the transgressions we make and that we have a flawed nature from the beginning and possess characteristics such as fallibility is unreasonable. Whether there is life after death is also unknowable.

To think about it, whether they believe in a god or not, some people possess the motivation to act according to moral codes without believing that they are being commanded by a god. Also, many questions can arise, such as if things are morally right because a god says so, then those commands are arbitrary and are made for no reason. On the other hand, if the command to do good is from a god because they are right, then rightness exists separate from the commandments of a god.

One question that arises from the abovementioned inferences is whether we can create a belief system far from the grip of any religious dogma. With those, we can perhaps create a rendition of how human beings can behave without being under the shadow of any religious belief. To begin with, we should establish the fact that morality is objective. It has a goal. And that goal is survival.

The natural process dictates the morality that we have, and it is governed by the physical and natural laws around us. These laws are distinct from the legal codes that are constructs of our society, with us being political entities. Laws exist at the same time as the physical universe. As a higher form of an organism, we, humans, speciated or evolved to acquire traits necessary for the survival of our species.

One trait we acquired is the ability to nurture. Aside from nurturing the offspring, we developed the trait to nurture other organisms outside our species that we perceived to be beneficial for our survival. An example is how we develop the concepts of family, animal husbandry, agriculture, and even pet ownership.

Those we deem beneficial, we strive to preserve. In times of need, we use and consume them but are also careful enough to not eliminate them. (Though, as we can observe, the lack of restraint of humans led to the extinction of many species on the planet.)

We also develop the sense to protect ourselves from any harmful thing that poses a threat to our well-being and survival. That is the reason we try to create ways to protect ourselves from viruses and pathogens. Again, the general idea is that something that is geared towards our survival as humans is “right.”

To obey the laws of nature and the physical universe is also vital, hence forming part of our morality. Knowing and understanding such laws is essential, as it enables us to adapt to the harshness of nature and our environment. Going against natural laws and physical laws is detrimental, like how we can’t go against the laws of gravity.

The destructive acts that cause harm, contribute to the extinction of our kind, harm anything that is contributory to our survival, and go against the physical laws and the laws of nature are acts that we consider “wrong.”

We can also go so far as to say that the laws the society created are derived from such principles, as we made laws to protect ourselves from the lawlessness that can contribute to our ruin.

Emotions, such as empathy or hate towards others, are just part of our speciation as we developed into conscious, sentient, and conscientious beings. All emotions are subjective.

Thus, we can conclude that there is no need for any religious framework when it comes to being morally sound. Morality exists as part of nature, and its goal is survival and preservation.

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A Basis of Morality Free from Religions' Grasp by Leandro Angelo Castro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.