Can ethical behavior exist without a god?
Ethics and morality do not require a diety to be developed. Prehuman ethics can be theorized based on non-human ethics as a function of society building. The following is based on the article “Ethics” in the Macropedia of Encyclopaedia Britannica written by Dr. Peter Singer. • No group can stay together if it allows frequent, all-inclusive, attacks. • Cooperative behaviors, or altruistic behaviors, support group goals ( starting with survival). • Some altruistic behavior are explained by kinship, some by non-kinship group identities (age-mates, work-mates). • Loyalty to a group is distinct from loyalty to individuals in the group. • Cooperation is based on reciprocity. • Learning to distinguish reciprocators from non-reciprocators is the basis of ideas of fairness and cheating. • Morality is a result of 1)learning to distinguish individuals, groups, behaviors; 2)self-interest tempered by group interest; and 3)shame based on pressure from the group (based on #2 above). Many professional
