That statement is not something I have read or heard from anyone else, but what recently came up in my own thought. It seems close to what a deist would say, but not, as it is inner-directed.
It seems like this sort of statement should be common and that there should be one or more major branches of philosophy associated with it. However, my search revealed none.
Most people are born with a conscience. Some could say that is the mark of God. Others could say we are born with a conscience in order that we can survive.
I SERIOUSLY believe that there's a conscious effort by MORG GAs to eliminate conscience as a factor in members' lives & decision-making.
They DEFINATELY DON'T WANT people/members to have Any personal preferences, or sense of Right/Wrong.
In an EVIL way, their teachings / lessons are just as harmful as those that teach that there isn't ANY right-wrong, any sins whatsoever; Same Result: Don't make up your own mind, don't develop a(ny) sense of good-bad; Trust us for the most obscure, benign, trivial details.
Your thought seems influenced by the "light of Christ" reference from the D&C.
The problem is that it's not true. Children are born barbarians and must be taught right from wrong--- a process societies are still learning; for not until the past few centuries was slavery considered wrong.
What I will cede is that evolutionary psychology, imprinted in our DNA, does give us ideas of fairness and team work. However, even higher apes have such ideas seemingly "imprinted upon their soul".
We even see the differences in morality associated with evolutionary psychology in different human populations. Northern Asians suffered the worst ice age climates and so had to work together to survive: witness their low crime rates, complete absence of chattel slavery, etc.
Would Utah respond to a devasting natural disaster as well as Japan handled the tsunami, even though a huge % get hours of religious instruction every week since birth? NO!!!!!
"We even see the differences in morality associated with evolutionary psychology in different human populations. Northern Asians suffered the worst ice age climates and so had to work together to survive: witness their low crime rates, complete absence of chattel slavery, etc."
So the ice age climates of Europe and North America were so much better than northern Asia, that Europeans became selfish?
Your comment above does not seem to be a true statement. Japan has low crime rates, but this is partly because they have defined, prosecuted and punished crime differently than western cultures. Japan has also had a history of class, caste and dominion that effectively operated as chattel slavery. All feudal societies, even those in northern Asia, have these characteristics. We can parse definitions, but...
And just how effectively has Japan "handled" the tsunami? Have they united to contain and end the highly dangerous situation at the nuke plants? No. Are they moving to dispose of the radioactive trash in an environmentally sound manner? No. Are they dealing with the contamination of their food supply in a safe manner? No. Have they evacuated children from the highly radioactive zones in Fukushima? No.
The Japanese government is complicit with TEPCO in falsifying radiation levels and data, and in lying to the people of Japan and the world. They are protecting their damaged economy at all costs, and yet spending trivial amounts on mitigating a massive threat to the world ecosystem. The people of Japan do have a cultural tendency to follow authorities, and to communally avoid drawing attention to themselves and avoid making waves, but in the case of the nuclear crisis, these traits are negatives. Yes, they have avoided public riots, but their communal passivity is compounding the problems of the nuclear crisis.
It's possible Utah Mos might do better in the same situation, They certainly couldn't do much worse.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2012 05:13PM by hello.
Interesting theory, but does it hold up? Russians, Siberians, Europeans, north Asians, all experienced the same ice age conditions in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Are they really that different as groups in terms of their social organization and mores?
Seems oversimplified.
Low latitude Native Americans also experienced the same relative warmth as Africa during cold periods (not sure if this would include whichever ice age you are referring to). Do Amazonian collectives or central American tribes riot when there is disaster?
Your argument about Haitians could be seen as founded in racism, Eric. It's a sensitive topic that way.
Ironically, in the case of the Black Haitians, it was Europeans that bound them in chattel slavery. Most sociologists would agree that the Haitian population suffered tremendously due to their enslavement. The sources and causes of whatever cultural and social problems they may display as a group will always have to be filtered through the reality of their enslavement by Europeans.
As for the Japanese, any assessment of modern national socio-cultural traits and organization must take into account the extreme social engineering program they were subjected to by the American post-WW11 administration of a defeated people.
Many factors affect such complex situations. It is likely that modern factors are more important in shaping these nations' social behaviors, than cold weather thousands of years ago.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/2012 12:47AM by hello.
And no, I am not a creationist, as understood in terms of modern Abrahamic religions.
I think reality is shaped communally, and is evolving toward more effective DNA at all times, leading to more effective, life-sustaining outcomes as time passes. I'm a hope fiend.