Can there truly be morality w/in strict materialism?

What I am wondering is can there truly be morality if we deny any kind of 'cosmic consciousness' (excuse the hippiespeak, but I want to include Buddhism and other non-theistic religions) such as God, karma etc. By 'truly' I mean morality that is not simply based on human preferences or society's needs, but that can rise above these.

I'm not sure.

It seems to me that we can't. I don't deny that atheists can be moral people, this would be plain stupidity, nor do I claim that religious people are more moral. Just speaking metaphysically, if there is nothing other than 'matter', operating within mechanical laws, how can we justify moral standards? As these are not contained within the laws of physics or biology. As far as I can see, secular morality can only assert that we should do such and such for the sake of society or for fear of punishment - there is nothing comparably forceful as 'because it is God's will' or because it will lead to nirvana.
However, I am open to argument, and I accept that I could be plain wrong about this. Tell me your thoughts.
50% Voted for by Alexander Hine, Makessenseright.
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- Makessenseright
  June 16, 2007
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  I'd like to see what people say against this.
- Weydon
  June 16, 2007
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  I don't think it matters. Sentience and intelligence seems to imply respect and fairness and justice in place of those who would try to hinder it. I believe in God, and believe morality exists outside of what He tells people to write down. If God decided to change morality around and that it's wrong NOT to rape people, I would have to disagree. Morally it'd still be wrong to me.
  
  What makes something moral or immoral? Is their some strange cosmic force of Morality? Is it God or karma? How should I know. God and karma don't actually swoop down and show us things. We read ancient teachings and listen to modern interpreters of these teachings. We can figure out morality through logic and reason. If we couldn't, then morality would be unreasonable.
- TeChNoWC
  June 18, 2007
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  Then your God is morality, Hebrew God demoted to simply 'a god', compared to your almighty Morality.
- - Weydon
    June 18, 2007
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    I do not worship Morality anymore than I worship logic and reason. I don't believe "them" to be sentient beings. When I capitalized Morality it was more rhetorical for the situation than anything else. My religious beliefs lie within God. As God is not unreasonable and cruel, the moral rules we follow should be reasonable and just.
- Alexander Hine
  June 18, 2007
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  Are you responding to my post? If you are, you have mistaken my theological position drastically. G-d is beyond good and evil.
  K. F.
- - Makessenseright
    June 21, 2007
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    Check out this topic I made a while back about almost the same subject, I got some looong and very well thought out responses.
    
    http://allphilosophy.com/topic/1904
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Property

Let's say you are a large business owner, apartment building owner, real estate tycoon, or etc. The right to own said property/ies can be had two ways: Having your own security force round the clock to protect your investment against possibly stronger forces OR by supporting your government and its laws, which in turn will protect your rights to your property with its much greater power than you with some family and guns can muster.

We choose to be law abiding (a kind of morality) even when without religion or even with only materialistic considerations because without the government and its accompanying laws, we would be unable to effectively protect our property, investments or anything that happens to be ours.

Voted for by eighteight.

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Awareness changes everything!

The desire of materialism stems from feelings of inadequacy, incompleteness, and a general lack of self confidence.
Morality comes in a far second to the natural response of chaotic fears created by our minds.
As long as people feel they need something outside of themselves to make them whole, morality cannot be fully examined.
For example, when you have a case of one who is completely unaware of the damage they are causing, then they may not have a moral tie to what they are doing. Nevertheless you may still find divine ballance in the incomplete cycles in their life path.
Furthermore morality can not be looked at seriously for society sets the standards for moral behavior.
Morality such as good and bad are relative to each situation.

Voted for by Valerianroot.

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