Enlightenment; Can Mankind Live a Moral and Ethical Life Without Religion
Michael Landrum
Introduction to Ethics
Essay 1
3/30/2013
Enlightenment; Can Mankind Live a Moral and Ethical Life Without Religion The inspiration for my essay topic comes from a myriad of sources, and is in no way meant as an attack on religion. My main inspiration was a result of my contemplation over the short story “Letters from the Earth” written by Mark Twain. The story revolves around mankind’s hypocritical views on religion, faith, and prayer as viewed through the eyes of Satan. Due to his unfortunate death, in 1910, and the highly controversial nature of its content Twain’s story remained unpublished for 20 years. In this paper I will use this inspiration in an attempt to answer three questions: Would man revert back to his former state of savagery without moral guidance? If he did, would he then learn to redevelop a set of morals to live by? If this were possible, could it happen without religion as a guide with which to gauge moral values against? In recent years I have been forced to reexamine my standpoint in regards to religion on numerous occasions. Yet while writing this paper, I found that in some instances, that I was forced to redefine my personal views on the subject of religion still further. To answer the questions set forth in my thesis would require that a great many things, too many to list, would need to be taken into consideration first. If some sort of calamity were to befall mankind in such a way as to erase his history, as the saying goes, would history stand to repeats itself? I believe that the short answer is yes. I think that it is possible that man, if given enough time, would develop a set of morals and ethical standards with which to live by. I firmly believe that this would take place if for no other reason than the fact that it would benefit society. I also believe that this would be possible even if religion were not a factor in its development. However, this is only one person’s opinion on the subject.
Introduction to Ethics
Essay 1
3/30/2013
Enlightenment; Can Mankind Live a Moral and Ethical Life Without Religion The inspiration for my essay topic comes from a myriad of sources, and is in no way meant as an attack on religion. My main inspiration was a result of my contemplation over the short story “Letters from the Earth” written by Mark Twain. The story revolves around mankind’s hypocritical views on religion, faith, and prayer as viewed through the eyes of Satan. Due to his unfortunate death, in 1910, and the highly controversial nature of its content Twain’s story remained unpublished for 20 years. In this paper I will use this inspiration in an attempt to answer three questions: Would man revert back to his former state of savagery without moral guidance? If he did, would he then learn to redevelop a set of morals to live by? If this were possible, could it happen without religion as a guide with which to gauge moral values against? In recent years I have been forced to reexamine my standpoint in regards to religion on numerous occasions. Yet while writing this paper, I found that in some instances, that I was forced to redefine my personal views on the subject of religion still further. To answer the questions set forth in my thesis would require that a great many things, too many to list, would need to be taken into consideration first. If some sort of calamity were to befall mankind in such a way as to erase his history, as the saying goes, would history stand to repeats itself? I believe that the short answer is yes. I think that it is possible that man, if given enough time, would develop a set of morals and ethical standards with which to live by. I firmly believe that this would take place if for no other reason than the fact that it would benefit society. I also believe that this would be possible even if religion were not a factor in its development. However, this is only one person’s opinion on the subject.