Morals....

[xSilverPhinx]

Stevil,

I have been following your explorations of the moral question with great interest.  You give eloquent voice to an instinct I have had for some time that a proper investigation of such questions would center on specific instances of behavior, and the consequences thereof, with reference to clearly specified, mutually agreed-upon goals.   Framing things in this way promises actual progress.   Further, it promises to illuminate both what is essential and what is inconsequential to actual daily living.

I fear, however, that there is a deep instinct on the part of many people that decisions based upon 'mere' calculations of mutual survival are somehow not binding enough, or far ranging enough.  With respect to the former, they want some extra-special sauce on top of their, or more to the point, other people's promises not to engage in certain behaviors, just to make sure that everyone's really serious.  As for the latter, a 'live and let live' philosophy will hardly do for many, since they have deeply entrenched instincts that those other guys are truly screwy in ways that aren't captured by the calculus of survival, and they desperately don't want those instincts dissected in any real way.

But I think your project is a worthwhile one, nevertheless...

Just to add something here...

I heard the other day someone talking about the problems that could happen when there are too many opportunities for free-riding or back-stabbing. Though in my opinion people are neither innately good or evil but have the clear potential for both, very large societies break down when there aren't some commonly shared ideas of what's "good" or "bad".