A society with ethical laws, I think. I wasn't the first to use the phrase. I don't think people will behave ethically without a need for enforcement as long as they're still people.
We don't all agree on true north, true, but I think those of us who actually do have a moral code would find our compasses all pointing roughly at the same quadrant. And I also think that we would find that the various forms of Christianity and Judaism also point to somewhere within that quadrant. Possibly other religions as well. True north is somewhere within that area.
And if we are to attain true north, whatever it turns out to be (I'm consistent on the "no killing" for whatever reason, just because it makes more sense to me that way), then some people (maybe me; maybe you; maybe both of us) are going to find that their conceptions of north are different, maybe wildly different, and are going to have to be given some reason for changing them other than "because I say so." And that is where religion has been on occasion very useful.
Or we could just go on with our approximations as we are, and let the conflicting moralities battle it out till the one with the biggest guns wins, whatever that might happen to be.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-09-21 04:05 pm (UTC)We don't all agree on true north, true, but I think those of us who actually do have a moral code would find our compasses all pointing roughly at the same quadrant. And I also think that we would find that the various forms of Christianity and Judaism also point to somewhere within that quadrant. Possibly other religions as well. True north is somewhere within that area.
And if we are to attain true north, whatever it turns out to be (I'm consistent on the "no killing" for whatever reason, just because it makes more sense to me that way), then some people (maybe me; maybe you; maybe both of us) are going to find that their conceptions of north are different, maybe wildly different, and are going to have to be given some reason for changing them other than "because I say so." And that is where religion has been on occasion very useful.
Or we could just go on with our approximations as we are, and let the conflicting moralities battle it out till the one with the biggest guns wins, whatever that might happen to be.