Forum Discussion: Individual Behavior and the Community

Developing a rational system of morality is a frequent topic of conversation among atheists. If ethics are simply a system of rules for social behavior, then it only make sense that any successful system of ethics would have to focus upon the relationship between an individual and the social group in which they spend the most time. What does the individual need? What does the social group need? How can the needs of each be balanced when they conflict?

A forum member writes:

If we're searching for guidelines for individual behavior (ethics), and excluding religious arguments, could we not look at the relationship between the individual and the community? Imagine a small village where everyone knows you and you know everyone. The village cooperates in the gathering of food, protection and taking care of sick individuals. The individual benefits by receiving food, shelter and affection among other things. Thus there is an implied cooperation. The individual behaves in ways to benefit the community, and the community acts to serve the individual.

So, in this context, how should the individual behave, in order to support the community of people and remain a part of the community? Obviously behaviors such as murder and physical violence would harm the community. But other more mild, anti-social behaviors would also be discouraged by the community because they would damage the relationships between individuals that the community depends on. Things such as rudeness, lying, verbal attacks, etc.

Could not a system of ethics be built that is practical, based on this? Of course the implementation in today's world would be rather difficult. The relationship between the individual and the community is very loose in our society. I believe it could be restored, however, particularly with the power of the internet, to where people feel they are benefiting from belonging to a community, and thus would behave in ways in order to maintain the community.

One problem with this sort of system lies in how "other more mild, anti-social behaviors" are "discouraged by the community." This is very much the basis on which things like being part of the wrong religion, wrong race, and so forth are "discouraged." Women who dared to be single mothers or work outside the home have been ostracized and treated badly because they "damaged the relationships between individuals that the community depends on." So if this system is going to work, there have to limits on what can be considered "damaging" to "relationships." Read More...