| tinybear
I think instead of genetics, the better term is instinct.
We instinctively want to protect ourselves first. There is a secondary instinct to protect our family. I think that might set the foundation for morality right there.
What comes next is a realization that if you are nice to others they are usually nice to you in return. You also extend that desire for niceness to be delivered unto those close to you. So you conduct yourself how you perceive moral and ethical. Eventually, groups with similar moral perspectives get together and even create laws based around this morality.
The underlying concept is that by living according to morals you are, on some level, ensuring more comfortable survival of those most important to you. And that survival of my family aspect is on the instinctive level. |