Originally posted by bradybaker

Morality (like spirituality unfortunately) is an evolved behaviour.
We are seeing what may appear like a racial predisposition to Civilized Moral Behavior, as, for instance, the Chinese civilize almost automatically, whereas, some Peoples and Ethnic Groups are almost self-defined as primitive, ammoral and even proud of a Barbaric disposition. But, that being said, Morality must be supported by social institutions. Civilization, the successful ones, collectively agree upon codes of Morality -- not just Law. "Law" is what one can do until one gets caught. Morality is supposed to be Self-Enforcing. Children are brought up in it and everybody assumes that everybody will simply do what is "right". People coming into such a Civilized Situation might be surprised at what they find. An example of this would be with Catholic Civilizations moral injunction against usury -- lending money at interest. Jews, who once had similar moral injunctions from their own Religion, did not feel these restrictions applied when it came to an opportunity for exploiting non-Jews. The Jewish Business Model was perceived as essentially immoral. The Catholic Civiilization had taken non-usurous models for economic funding for granted. The Normans, new to Catholic Civilization, and sent off to fight the Crusades were easily influence to perceive the self-interested advantages to usurous lending and brought the practice back to Europe and competed with the Jews in their practice of taking more money out of each community then they were willing to put in -- the real reason why Usury is frowned upon (think about it, that in a Closed System where all money comes from the Banks, it is impossible to expect that all money can be paid back with an additional percent.... where is such money to come from? The same argument works for Profits in a Close Economic System, where one can wonder how Production that pays its Labor only a fraction of Price Value can expect this same Labor to pay full Price Value when it plays its part as Consumer. Economies must pay its Labor enough money to purchase production, but that would necessarily eliminate the Profit Margin. Essentially Capitalism can't work). So, you see, Civilization worked fine while the Social Institutions supported a Morality that went unquestioned and universally accepted. but when peoples from the outside, just as evolved as those on the inside, but simply not so well instructed, when they conspired and subverted the accepted Morality, the pillars of that Civilization began to errode.

One must carefully evaluate the Moral Edifice of Civilization and then make sure everybody takes it to heart. And for Outsiders, where one cannot expect them to have any acquired Morality, one must be firm with the Law.... that would entail some Legal Enforcement ... what the Catholics had in their Inquisitions. Had the Catholics moved their Inquisitions into Germany and England, Civilization may have been saved.