The list of requirements for a moral society is pretty darn short. Let's just take two of them, for example:
You shall not kill. If everyone followed this precept we would all be free, except to kill our fellow man. Under your scenario, a free society would permit killing our fellow man, so none of us would be free.
You should not steal. Same thing. Follow this one rule, and we're all free. Follow it not, and none of us are free.
Your free society forces individuals to steal and kill, just to survive. Everyone is stealing and killing, but NOBODY is free.
It isn't quite as simple as you think, my friend. Yeah, I know, those two examples are from the Old Testament. I'm a Christian, you see, but those rules govern Jews as well. I'd like to think they govern Muslims as well, although I do not intend to study the Koran to find out. I'm sure Buddhists and Hindus have some similar code, ALL OF WHICH COULD BE TERMED MORALITY, and which bestow freedom to everyone until violated.
Jesus taught one more moral principle, forgiveness. Add that to the dozen or so natural laws of morality and we're all free.
So to answer your question, We all decide what is moral by our adherence to a few basic natural laws. And I think it does respond to the market economy as you suggest. It's what people really want, defined by what they choose when they have the choice.
Since I'm a Christian, I fall under your false declaration that everybody wants every body else to act like Christians. I don't. I just want people to stop flying into buildings, interfering with the legal rights of others, and basically just leave me alone. If they don't want to follow those few rules that bestow freedom on everyone, I am prepared to stop them.
If you don't thinks that's not freedom, too bad. |
