The Moral Sense

by Juan

December 17, 2019 4 minutes • 733 words

Table of contents

Morals are Sensed by the Moral Sense as Conscience and the Common Interest
How Religions Implement the Moral Feelings

The previous section defined the impartial spectator as the higher mind, as opposed to the lower mind.

Both minds perceive reality through inherent detectors:

The lower mind has a detection system based on the 5 senses, primarily through the brain.
The higher mind has a detection system based on intuition, primarily through the heart.

Morals are Sensed by the Moral Sense as Conscience and the Common Interest

The detection of good and bad is therefore done by the higher mind through the heart, specifically the heart chakra.

The perceptions of the heart chakra is then compared by the higher mind to its dharma. This creates a decision tree which it cascades to the lower mind in order to drive motor actions.

In Buddhism, this comparing-action is called prajna-paramita, which is a feeling-sense just like ‘vision’ is a visual sense and ‘hearing’ is a auditory sense. It is inherent just like instinct is inherent. ‘Conscience’ is then derived from this moral sense.

Adam-Smith

The foundation of our moral faculties were given to us to direct of our conduct in this life, whether those foundations are from a modification of reason, an original instinct called a moral sense, or some other principle of our nature. They carry along with them the most evident badges of this authority. These denote that they were set up within us to be the supreme arbiters of all our actions, superintend all our senses, passions, and appetites, and judge how far each of them was to be indulged or restrained.

In Buddhism, this moral sense is then part of human dharma, which Smith calls the invisible hand. However, even if this moral sense is present in all humans, it is not readily or so easily activated because it is very often clouded by ego or self love (ahamkara in Sanskrit):

Adam-Smith

He soon identifies himself with the ideal man within the breast. He soon becomes himself the impartial spectator of his own situation… If he wants the impartial spectator to enter into the principles of his conduct he must humblethe arrogance of his self-love..

The concept of impartial spectator is derived from David Hume, though the Hindus defined it first, to be later developed by Buddhists, creating guidelines and practices to develop the moral sense.

David-Hume

An object which causes pleasure to its possessor is sure to please the spectator by a delicate sympathy with the possessor.

Part 3, Sec 1 Treatise of Human Nature

An Arab man experiences injustice. By watching nationalist propaganda, his mind connects Western imperialism to the injustice. His strong feelings increase his ego enough to cloud his moral sense to become a terrorist and successfully attacks a Western target.

Anti-terror unit

The Western soldier sees this and his moral sense guides him to strike back at the terror camp. However, his ego forces him to rush the job and hit innocent people as collateral damage.

Those victims suffer injustice and sees the moral duty to strike back. In all cases and without exception, the ego is the cause of the corruption of moral sentiments as it increases the sense of our own greatness, subsequently preventing the mind from putting itself in the situation of others as fellow-feeling.

Adam-Smith

However, it is also the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments. Moralists in all ages have complained that wealth and greatness are often regarded with the respect and admiration due only to wisdom and virtue, and that poverty and weakness is unjustly given the contempt due only to vice and folly.We desire to be respectable and to be respected. We dread to be contemptible and to be condemned.

Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part 4

How Religions Implement the Moral Feelings

Religions have developed different strategies to quell the ego and develop the impartial spectator or encourage the moral sense:

Hinduism prevents the ego from being fed by renouncing the world
Buddhism stifles the ego by controlling the mind
Christianity dilutes the ego by encouraging it to take into account other egos, as the Golden rule
Islam crushes the ego by forcing obedience to strict moral rules which are supposed to be given by an artificial construct called Allah, which is really the impartial spectator or moral sense of the Prophet Mohammad

Superphysics imposes moral feelings naturally through our proposed points-based economic system , derived from the requirements of David Hume and Adam Smith.