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What’s to keep me from becoming a god?
(sh.itjust.works)
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this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2023
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Classic evangelical thinking that morals only happen when they are enforced by external punishment.
Technically it's not wrong. The only difference is the external punishment isn't handed out by some eternal torture but by other people.
So, if there were no consequences, you'd walk into a store and take whatever you wanted without paying? And if someone tried to stop you, you'd beat them down for it? You'd push a disabled person into traffick for money? You'd be willing to sell children into slavery?
Morals don't happen just because something bad happens to you when you do bad things. As the other comment says, morals happen because humans are, at their core, an empathetic species. It's how we survived. It's how we evolved to create and use tools, it's how we developed society. Yes, there are unempathetic individuals who stand on the backs of the rest, squeezing every ounce of value out allowed within the law (and some don't even stop there) but they are a very visible minority, in my experience.
I never said it was wrong for me personally but I'm not naive enough to think the majority of people on this planet are only good because there's consequences for doing so.
I help people carry heavy shit because I'm capable. Others help because they'd be looked down on if they don't.
This is reality.
Technically it's wrong.
You're not good because you're afraid of the consequences of being bad. You're good because you have empathy and know that kindness is overall better for everyone (you included) than nastiness or immorality.
That's not why most people are good though. I'm not talking about myself I'm simply stating the reality that most people are only good because of societal standards and expectations.
Think of the old west in America. Lawless. People dueling to the death over petty insults. Or the medieval period in Europe. Or the feudal age of eastern countries. They all had rampant crime and violence due to a lack of facing real consequence.
If you remove social consequence humans become the animals they have always been.
Edit: Also your last point proves mine. It's only easier because otherwise you'll be ostracized or worse.
Do you think the "old west" in America was actually like a western movie? Like, have you played red dead redemption and think that's just how every day actually was? That fucking hilarious. Also those "social consequences" kinda prove the other guys point. You'll be ostracised because other people have empathy and look down/ostracise those who participate in immoral behaviour because they know it's wrong.