Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
It seems we agree that there are universal human rights. You seem to be OK with the fact that you can't locate their origin. The fact that their origin is in question vexes me. I guess you will sleep better at night.
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I think that much of morality stems from a basic respect for other people -- for their autonomy, and dignity, and worth. The Golden Rule, if you will. The hard questions come when different moral claims collide. For example, is it OK to compel parents to innoculate their kids against certain diseases? You pit the parents' preferences, and role as parents, against the potential harm to other people from the spread of disease. There's no obvious answer -- it depends on things like the risks posed by the innoculation, the threat of disease, and the number of people who want to skip the innoculation.
Much religious doctrine can be understood as trying to strike the same sort of balance on similar questions. But I suspect few religions say anything about innoculation, since it's too new a problem.
