Science and Ethics

Religion on the whole is a poor teacher of ethics. Science has nothing to teach us about ethics because science is in the end all about maths. For a teacher of ethics we have to look to logic and reason tempered by the norms of the society we live in and philosophy.

No, it cannot. Since Science deals with the material world, let Science remain there. Expanding the scope of Science and swallowing up other domain will not help us. Ethics is concerned with the end purpose of life. For example, in Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics he discussed about end purpose of life. And then worked out the ethical norm. Science cannot give us the purpose of life, and thus it cannot give us ethical teaching. It can help us in deeper engagement with certain element of ethics, but it cannot replace moral philosophy/theology.

Perhaps not, but simple common sense and a fellow feeling for other human beings can.

No all the best urban

Not really. We can look to science for a natural explanation about some of our most basic ethics, such as protecting our young and our mates. However, science exists to explain the natural world - not direct human actions. Ethics is more of a philosophical issue.

Ethics and scince goes hand in hand.

Science, I believe, is never meant to teach ethics and scientific discoveries raise ethical concerns that are to be addressed by "ethicists" whether secular or religious. One classic example are babies born of in vitro fertilization. What are their rights and privileges compared to those who were normally delivered with a known father and mother and went through the normal process. How will their birth certificates be filled up? What impact will this have to a nuclear family setting? etc etc Are they legitimate being born out or wedlock? Going back to the question of whether scientific discovery will ever replace religion as means of teaching ethics, the answer is obviously no. Anyway, I don't even think that religion in itself has absolute authority as teacher of ethics and in many cases they are not even qualified.

Hi bestboy, Religion does not have a monopoly on teaching ethics. Many people with no religious teaching are among the most ethical to be found anywhere. We are spiritual beings having a human experience but we do not need religion. Life itself is a prayer as actions always speak louder than words. Blessings.

What works for one, may not work for all. I believe that everyone should be free to choose their own way. For some, science is the correct path for them. For others, religion is the correct path. Some choose other spiritual paths.

Nothing teaches ethics better than consequences returning with your action. On the other hand, there is knowledge or a science for everything. With enough knowledge from keeping track of people's past experiences, the right teachings could be determined. Of course, by then science would probably have already discovered God before religion. It will take some time but it will happen.

Never..science can never surpass god's knowledge no matter how many scientifis dicovery made everyday.