In chapter two, CS Lewis goes on to expand the topic of the Law of morality or decent behaviour. The innate sense in us that help guide our decisions about what is right and what is wrong. Is this an instinct or is it something completely different? A definitition of instinct pulled from The Free Dictionary is:
1. An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals.
2. A powerful motivation or impulse.
3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy.
Wikipedia stated that: Some sociologists argue that humans have no instincts, defining them as a "complex pattern of behavior present in every specimen of a particular species, that is innate, and that cannot be overridden." Said sociologists argue that drives such as sex and hunger cannot be considered instincts, as they can be overridden. This definitory argument is present in many introductory sociology and biology textbooks,[6] but is still hotly debated.
Make a list of instincts and let's do some comparisons:
-self preservation (the desire to stay alive)
-greed
-sleeping
-sex
-aggression
-fight or flight
-herding
-mothering
So how does moral law factor into instinctive behavior? Is it in and of itself and instinct or is it some other key component in our human nature. CS Lewis argues that moral law is another part of human behavior, in effect our conscience that helps guide and control our instincts appropriately. He used the example of a person drowning and calling for help. Self preservation instinct would keep us away and on "safe" ground, yet our herding instinct will produce the desire to assist and help the person. Moral law will guide the impulses to what is correct and right in that situation at that point in time.
So is moral law just a form of education or social convention that we have learned over time? We do learn things from people that are around us and our culture does mold us. But think about it.... when we compare one culture to another culture, we are measuring them against each other and one may or may not come up lesser or greater then the other. Therefore, we are measuring them against a common standard in order to make that decision.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Let's go back to the very beginning....
And when I say let's go back to the very beginning, I mean the very beginning. Currently, I am reading a book titled "Mere Christianity", by CS Lewis (famous author of the Narnia series....) and he goes all the way back to the beginning also to look just at the root of humanity. Not a single person, not a single thing just humanity in general.
The book was written during World War II and was actually presented as topics of conversation on the radio. Reading it can be a little more tedious then I thought but in general, I am really impressed with what I am learning.
In the forward, a few things stood out to me. One: Lewis wrote this book in order to help us see religion with fresh eyes, as a radical faith whose followers are like underground groups gathering during a time of war, hoping to hear messages of hope because evil seems to have the upper hand. Two: He also discusses that christianity in and of itself is a way of life, not a philosophy, theology, something to be talked about, discussed and then tabled to return to later for follow up discussions. No, Lewis was once quoted as saying that, "It (Christianitiy) is a way of life, one that challenges us always to remember. There are no ordinary people and it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit." (Just dwell on that thought a little longer.... gives me a little different view of the people that I see every day...)
The first section of the book is titled: Right and Wrong, a clue to the meaning of the universe.... He goes over in detail how we as humans have a standard code of conduct, a way in which is understood as right and proper, or a intuitive understanding of what is right and what is wrong. It's in our human nature, we don't have to really think about it, it's just part of us. Think of how many times a child has said, "that's not fair..." Really?!? How so? Has the child been told what is fair and what is not fair? No. The child instinctively and intuitively knows what is right and what is wrong. This is our basis of human nature. In some people, this intuition is repressed or overshadowed by other issues (think of manic depressive people, schizophrenia, multiple personalities, etc). We as a human race have a common belief of what is right and what is wrong. I loved the illustration that Lewis gave of people running away from war. Do we admire them? Hold them in high esteem? No, it is the soldiers who selflessly give their lives so that we can maintain freedom, that we admire. Someone who is selfish is not deserving of admiration and is usually turned into an example of how not to behave. So instead of thinking so broadly, lets turn the tables onto ourselves... How many times in one day, have we as humans been impatient, irritable, and on edge but instead of stating that we are in the wrong, we continue to shift the blame and excuse ourself as being tired or hungry. In essence finding a reason or scapegoat that our behavior is in some effect excusable and not our fault.
Questions of the day.... (or maybe I should term it homework).
What are the two points that CS Lewis is emphasizing throughout the first chapter? In his opinion, there are two facts that our universe is built on and the foundation of all clear thinking.....
The book was written during World War II and was actually presented as topics of conversation on the radio. Reading it can be a little more tedious then I thought but in general, I am really impressed with what I am learning.
In the forward, a few things stood out to me. One: Lewis wrote this book in order to help us see religion with fresh eyes, as a radical faith whose followers are like underground groups gathering during a time of war, hoping to hear messages of hope because evil seems to have the upper hand. Two: He also discusses that christianity in and of itself is a way of life, not a philosophy, theology, something to be talked about, discussed and then tabled to return to later for follow up discussions. No, Lewis was once quoted as saying that, "It (Christianitiy) is a way of life, one that challenges us always to remember. There are no ordinary people and it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit." (Just dwell on that thought a little longer.... gives me a little different view of the people that I see every day...)
The first section of the book is titled: Right and Wrong, a clue to the meaning of the universe.... He goes over in detail how we as humans have a standard code of conduct, a way in which is understood as right and proper, or a intuitive understanding of what is right and what is wrong. It's in our human nature, we don't have to really think about it, it's just part of us. Think of how many times a child has said, "that's not fair..." Really?!? How so? Has the child been told what is fair and what is not fair? No. The child instinctively and intuitively knows what is right and what is wrong. This is our basis of human nature. In some people, this intuition is repressed or overshadowed by other issues (think of manic depressive people, schizophrenia, multiple personalities, etc). We as a human race have a common belief of what is right and what is wrong. I loved the illustration that Lewis gave of people running away from war. Do we admire them? Hold them in high esteem? No, it is the soldiers who selflessly give their lives so that we can maintain freedom, that we admire. Someone who is selfish is not deserving of admiration and is usually turned into an example of how not to behave. So instead of thinking so broadly, lets turn the tables onto ourselves... How many times in one day, have we as humans been impatient, irritable, and on edge but instead of stating that we are in the wrong, we continue to shift the blame and excuse ourself as being tired or hungry. In essence finding a reason or scapegoat that our behavior is in some effect excusable and not our fault.
Questions of the day.... (or maybe I should term it homework).
What are the two points that CS Lewis is emphasizing throughout the first chapter? In his opinion, there are two facts that our universe is built on and the foundation of all clear thinking.....
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