Personally I think it’s a survival mechanism that helps keep our species alive but that’s just me. I’d like to hear all of your opinions or beliefs!
Evolution. We are a pack animal. Those with antisocial behaviours were ostracised from the group. Their genes died out. We learned through evolution to cooperate with each other. We learned altruistic behaviour because we needed others to care for us if we were sick or in trouble.
We also learned that if you want to survive, especially during the dark ages and the many years to follow, that if you didn't believe in god your chances were very slim in passing on your genes.
I feel better and life is better when I care and I feel like shit when I hurt people. I don't like to feel like shit so I choose to care.
Empathy, mostly. I don't want bad things to happen to most other folks.
Think ultimately it is the ongoing survival of our species. For example, we all know the planet is being trashed environmentally and this is adversely affecting most species which ultimately include us. In other words, our future is interconnected and interdependant on the other life forms that inhabit this planet. So, if we take the view that survival and care of other life forms is in our best long term interests then it is morally wrong to destroy natural habitat or willfully kill other flora and fauna.
Well, for me, morality is an individually determined set of rules by which a person lives their life. More simply put, morality is a sense of right and wrong. This, I believe, is unique to human consciousness on this planet. We invented it. Survival mechanism/instincts is a completely different topic, IMO.
For me it is not whether god exists or does not exist. For me it is the fact that I want to live my life with compassion, non harming, and equanimity and that is how I want to be treated.
That which perpetuates human (and otherwise) flourishing & well being.
My late partner had a question for her 2nd graders: "What is more important, People or dirt"? Protecting the life support system for all life is the ultimate morality. I understand that but way too many others don't.
The concept of minimum violation of human dignity and well=being. Most of our value decisions are not between absolute right and wrong, but between values -- comparative goods and evils. The choice3 should always be one which violates human dignity and well-being the least..
I have ethics I stand by. I made a post that no one saw that was about meta-ethics.
The knowledge that my actions have consequences, not only for me - but for those around me. Coupled with the knowledge that certain generalizations are (mostly) true - that pleasure is preferable to pain, that life is preferable to death... and human flourishing, with these things in mind, is to the betterment of all.