Outstanding article due to its resonance with me. Only gripe is in the last paragraph when the assertion is made that "it seems unlikely" that pre-existing morality would not have spread so quickly or efficiently without the influence of Christianity. I am not doubting the influence of Christianity. But I also don't doubt the influence of other religions (or non-religious spirituality, if religion is a dirty word), and other cultural constructs (in addition to the Roman Stoics). Christianity itself was constructed on prior ideas and evolved in interacting with other ideas. Many factors contribute to whether "pre-existing morality" spread quicker or slower, efficiently or inefficiently. The social animal nature in humans (if I may may break down my understanding of your term "pre-existing morality") is so inbuilt into our DNA that it HAS to manifest in any family, tribe, community, or country in terms of each of their own idiosyncractic teachings, family rules, spirituality, myths, cultural mores, philosophies, core beliefs, and morality or ethics. The present cognitive construct of Christianity MIGHT have been the agent/tool that enables the quicker and more efficient spread of pre-existing morality. But until we explore how other constructs have also enabled the spread, we cannot say that it is unlikely that the spread would be less quick or less efficient without Christianity.
Outstanding article due to its resonance with me. Only gripe is in the last paragraph when the assertion is made that "it seems unlikely" that pre-existing morality would not have spread so quickly or efficiently without the influence of Christianity. I am not doubting the influence of Christianity. But I also don't doubt the influence of other religions (or non-religious spirituality, if religion is a dirty word), and other cultural constructs (in addition to the Roman Stoics). Christianity itself was constructed on prior ideas and evolved in interacting with other ideas. Many factors contribute to whether "pre-existing morality" spread quicker or slower, efficiently or inefficiently. The social animal nature in humans (if I may may break down my understanding of your term "pre-existing morality") is so inbuilt into our DNA that it HAS to manifest in any family, tribe, community, or country in terms of each of their own idiosyncractic teachings, family rules, spirituality, myths, cultural mores, philosophies, core beliefs, and morality or ethics. The present cognitive construct of Christianity MIGHT have been the agent/tool that enables the quicker and more efficient spread of pre-existing morality. But until we explore how other constructs have also enabled the spread, we cannot say that it is unlikely that the spread would be less quick or less efficient without Christianity.
Very interesting.