JosephM Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 Can any moral or religious document be objective in the values it presents? Please explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulS Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 If by objective you mean "(of a person or their judgement) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts", then I would say not because personal feelings and opinions are precisely what determine our morals and religions, I would suggest. I think religions develop in response to culture and society which in itself is determined through the opinions and feelings of its participants. I would go so far to say that I don't think you can even have a morality that is objective by definition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thormas Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 This is an interesting one. I take objective to either mean obvious and verifiable by evidence or 'a universal truth.' So, I don't think of moral and religious documents as objective that can be proven scientifically but I do allow that there might be or they might contain universal truths that are recognized as not merely created by the individual but having a 'reality' of their own and thus able to be discovered by men and women (as some have and 'documented'). Seemingly, on this site, we have discussed some things* that seem to be recognized across religions and even by non-religious (I won't go into detail because I lack the time to research the many posts). So too, even something as 'simple' as the 10 Commandments seem to have a reality that is discoverable and recognized by men and women (beyond Judaism and Christianity): that it is not right to steal, lie, kill, covet the possessions or spouse of another, etc. For one who says these things are perfectly okay and just a matter of opinion, many would state they are wrong and either don't recognize such truth or lack the ability to live it (a bit controversial, I know). A further elaboration would be that they simply have not (yet) or are unable to recognize such universal truths. Some of the things* we have discussed include oneness and love and, similarly, one could argue that these touch on universal (and objective - in that they are not merely the whim of the individual) truths, that are there to be recognized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burl Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 On October 13, 2018 at 9:10 AM, JosephM said: Can any moral or religious document be objective in the values it presents? Please explain. Darwin's "On the Origins of Species" might qualify. Its values of supremacy/inferiority and eugenics as a social good are disputable but objective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephM Posted October 15, 2018 Author Share Posted October 15, 2018 17 hours ago, thormas said: This is an interesting one. I take objective to either mean obvious and verifiable by evidence or 'a universal truth.' So, I don't think of moral and religious documents as objective that can be proven scientifically but I do allow that there might be or they might contain universal truths that are recognized as not merely created by the individual but having a 'reality' of their own and thus able to be discovered by men and women (as some have and 'documented'). Snip I really like this statement of yours. Joseph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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