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Like ancient dietary laws, our moral code may be rooted in ancient common wisdom about healthy choices.

by judk 12y ago

logicchains 12y ago
Eh, ancient wisdom doesn't seem to have done a great job in terms of moral codes. Slavery, institutionalised racism and sexism, foot-binding, debtor's prisons, despotism, pedophilia; all examples of practices deriving from ancient wisdom that today are considered unacceptable.
- marvy 12y ago
  Hey, you win some, you lose some. They still got a few things right.
- rdtsc 12y ago
  > all examples of practices deriving from ancient wisdom that today are considered unacceptable. However only survivors after tens or hundreds of thousands of years are able to log in and comment on HN about it. Some of the abhorrent ancient "wisdoms" are well, ...abhorrent. Others maybe the reason we are still here (as opposed some other people being here, or, no human species at all). Also, it is probably reasonable to assume the same "morals" the kept a group of hunter gatherers together are today responsible to racism and hate between groups. To really even begin to look at cause you'd at least want a situation where two very similar groups differed only in one aspect you are trying to measure and then observe how both groups evolved.
  - logicchains 12y ago
    >Also, it is probably reasonable to assume the same "morals" the kept a group of hunter gatherers together are today responsible to racism and hate between groups. Good point. It's important to remember that evolution (including of the cultural variety) ultimately selects for survival. If group A is super happy and peaceful, and group B is unhappy and violent, if group B uses its capacity for violence to conquer group A then ultimately it will be group B's genetic/cultural traits that survive into the future.
    - XorNot 12y ago
      Moreover it only selects for immediate term survival - it does not choose long-term optimum solutions (see: Peacock feathers, where creating impressive plumage is pretty much orthogonal to actual fitness) nor does it brook short term deficits for long term gains. It is an abhorrent moral compass.

Like ancient dietary laws, our moral code may be rooted in ancient common wisdom about healthy choices.

by judk 12y ago

Like ancient dietary laws, our moral code may be rooted in ancient common wisdom about healthy choices.

Eh, ancient wisdom doesn't seem to have done a great job in terms of moral codes. Slavery, institutionalised racism and sexism, foot-binding, debtor's prisons, despotism, pedophilia; all examples of practices deriving from ancient wisdom that today are considered unacceptable.

marvy 12y ago
Hey, you win some, you lose some. They still got a few things right.
rdtsc 12y ago
> all examples of practices deriving from ancient wisdom that today are considered unacceptable. However only survivors after tens or hundreds of thousands of years are able to log in and comment on HN about it. Some of the abhorrent ancient "wisdoms" are well, ...abhorrent. Others maybe the reason we are still here (as opposed some other people being here, or, no human species at all). Also, it is probably reasonable to assume the same "morals" the kept a group of hunter gatherers together are today responsible to racism and hate between groups. To really even begin to look at cause you'd at least want a situation where two very similar groups differed only in one aspect you are trying to measure and then observe how both groups evolved.
- logicchains 12y ago
  >Also, it is probably reasonable to assume the same "morals" the kept a group of hunter gatherers together are today responsible to racism and hate between groups. Good point. It's important to remember that evolution (including of the cultural variety) ultimately selects for survival. If group A is super happy and peaceful, and group B is unhappy and violent, if group B uses its capacity for violence to conquer group A then ultimately it will be group B's genetic/cultural traits that survive into the future.
  - XorNot 12y ago
    Moreover it only selects for immediate term survival - it does not choose long-term optimum solutions (see: Peacock feathers, where creating impressive plumage is pretty much orthogonal to actual fitness) nor does it brook short term deficits for long term gains. It is an abhorrent moral compass.