I think there are definitely universal ethics, but they have absolutely nothing to do with religion, because of course everyone has different views and ideas. "Don't kill" is probably the most definite 'human law' in the world. Even though somewhere there could be a small tribe of people that believe in human sacrifice, it is probable that even they believe killing another human for no reason is wrong. I do not think that always telling the truth could be considered an universal ethic. Although I personally believe that telling the truth is an important thing to do, it would be near impossible to never lie, and sometimes it is even the right thing to do by lying because you are protecting someone else's feelings. Cheating cannot exactly be considered universal either, because there are cultures where it is okay to have more than one partner.
The important thing about universal ethics is even though they apply to everyone, we only learn them from others and from society. If a person is isolated from birth all alone and then suddenly thrown into society, I do not think they would necessarily know that it is bad to kill a person. Humans have animalistic instincts but we change or suppress a good deal of them by teaching children wrong from right.
I really liked reading your thoughts on ethics. Though I don't believe in use or existence of universal ethics, I can definitely see how one who does could agree with you. Even in my way of thinking, I definitely agree that everyone has their own views and ideas on ethics, but I have to disagree to the value of religion though. After all, it is where most of the basic moral principles come from and they do, in fact, have a staggering effect on societies today. I do agree that killing without a motive is wrong, it is a barbaric act and lacks any sort of morals. I also must agree with your views on the usage of truth, sometimes it is better to lie than to tell the truth. Lastly, I definitely agree that they are learned from society because society teaches us what is socially acceptable or unacceptable. Overall, I think you did a good job in addressing your ideas on universal ethics.
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