Thread: Morality and its source

And to add to that, what about lesser but just as respected morals? such as smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, honesty, diet, dress, treatment of property/animals and others?

Does society or self preservation or instinct control those too?

Originally Posted by JokiJo

lesser but just as respected morals? such as smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, honesty, diet, dress, treatment of property/animals and others?

Does society or self preservation or instinct control those too?

These aren't necessarily morals but acts that can be either appropriate or harmful depending on the circumstance. Without sex the human race would become extinct, we need to eat and of course there are drugs which prolong life. Dress code, to some degree, depended the climate.
Even honesty, sometimes a completely honest answer may not be entirely helpful, it depends on the situation.
Self-preservation is usually seen as a basic instinct, but there are those that sacrifice their own lives for the good of others.

I think to some degree we are born with the correct instincts and these are further shaped by our upbringing and the society in which we live.

There are those who know how they should behave but choose not to, for a multitude of reasons.