Does having a larger society make people less ethical/moral?
The world peace thread, my atheism and morality thread from the other day, and a discussion I had with a coworker reminded me of that. Long ago (or not so long ago in some places), people lived in relatively small groups. If you hurt or wronged another person, everyone in your group knew it. Even if it wasn’t a crime that you could expect a specific punishment, you would probably not be treated as well for a while based on what you did. If you somehow managed to committ a crime without anyone in your group knowing, you would have to personally deal with the communities outrage over the incident and be around the victim/and or their family. This provided a good incentive for people to be ethical/moral even without taking religion into account. As communities started getting larger, more people were able to get away with their crimes and you might not have to regularly see your vitim or their family. If you runined your reputation, it wouldn’t be too long before someone else runined thei
