Ethics at all?

[Wootz]

I honestly, don't really believe in Ethics as a whole.

To truly understand Ethics, one would have to be either a) Omniscient, or b) A God (Who would probably be omniscient anyway). As humans, we can't really develop ethics, or 'right' and 'wrong', due to the fact that everybody has differing views, no matter how minor.

I live my life in a very simple, if selfish, manner. If I know, and I mean like, no way in hell I'm wrong know, that I wouldn't get caught stealing... then I'd do it. If I thought very strongly that there was no chance I'd get caught stealing, then I'd do it. If being altruistic and 'good' will benefit me, then I'll do it.

It's ego-centric and narcissistic, but it works. I don't go spouting racist, or sexist, or etc comments, because that would be detrimental.

Hmm. I respect your straightforward honesty on the subject, I don't think I would do the same though, as I value other people's feelings, especially those of friends. However, if I could steal without too much effect on the person affected (stealing a couple thousand dollars from a company like starbucks or a game from one of my friends that they don't play anymore) I suppose I'd do it too.

[amasarac]

You are conditioned from the moment you are born to understand that you cannot make a change in this world. In school you are taught that you need to follow your leaders and accept their word as divine truth. You are taught of the social pecking order and your inability to do anything about it. As you grow you turn into the same faceless clay mold as everyone else. All set to the tune of morality, which teaches you to give all of yourself and expect nothing in return.

Consider how little freedom you currently have in this society, what defines you as a person. Freedom to choose whether you want a Coke or Pepsi, a Snickers or a Milky way candy-bar? Is that really freedom? What if you wanted Snickers to make a candy-bar with vanilla instead of chocolate? Is it really freedom if you cannot choose what you get? In our current society you are defined by what other people choose for you. You have little to no freedom as a person and you are forced to obey a set of ethics that create a fictional perception of reality.

Do you think, without morals, would this world remain the same? Would there be murder, rape or a need for a government? I've wondered for a long time, how an amoral society would work. Imagine for a moment, if you will, a society in which people had no morals but respected each other. People who would have empathy for others, not out of pity, but out of understanding.

There would be no racism and no religion. No reasons to commit rape or murder. Everyone would act entirely on their own amoral accord. In this society people would work to aid their fellow man, instead of themselves. You would be allowed to adopt your own set of beliefs, no one would judge your opinions or consider them wrong or right. All people would be individuals.

The big question is though, would it work? Is there something in humans that prevents most of us from having the mental capacity to be a true individual rather than the meek and obedient? It may very well be that humans need a select few in power to be able to manage the masses; people who could make good choices for the better of humanity, without the shoddy basis of morality.

Unfortunately, with this basis of morality, our current system will never function correctly. Only the wicked are rewarded under our reality's illusionary guise.Only by rare circumstance will this society get a great leader and even then they are restricted by our self-induced inhibitions.

I suppose, in retrospect, neither system works. I cannot help but wonder though, if it'd make a difference.I'd like to hope it would. It would please me to know that humanity isn't so hopeless, but perhaps humanity is simply a lost cause.

[The Riviera Kid]

To be honest I thought your opening lines were from a movie then amasarac lol, but i agree with you.
Perhaps a place without rules and laws would be better, if you break what other people consider to be ethical (i.e you murder) then you are outcast from society, (if they don't find it ethical to punish you further).
But as you say would this work?
The 'imaginary' rules would be set from what people believe to be right and they wouldn't be written down because morality changes, and as you live with people you could gauge whether you think in a similar way to them.
However this would create rifts between countries as morality drifted in different directions (not that, this isn't a problem we have the way things are now :S)