Ethics Without an Audience

If nobody was watching, would you follow your ethics? Most people wouldn't. They would revert to their baser instincts instead. Religion condemns them for it. Society does too. But they aren't entirely wrong. Your body doesn't understand ethics or morals. Your brain has been shaped over thousands of years of evolution. It did not evolve around ethics. Ethics are how we remain part of a society. Follow a culture. Stay civilised. So people don't kill each other and instead resolve their disputes through dialogue. There are laws to prevent people from breaking the rules. Those rules are grounded in ethics. If you follow them, you will likely be considered an ethical person. There are enforcements in place in case you are tempted to stray. The human mind hasn't evolved for these ethics. It has only one goal: survival. When your body is hungry it wants to eat. When it's thirsty it wants to drink. When it needs love it does things that attract love. It grows defensive when it perceives a…