I've been thinking about it all weekend, but I can't come up with one moral principle that is universally followed in all cultures and subcultures. A long time ago I read about this cannibal tribe in South America that doesn't even believe in the Golden Rule, admiring treachery and betrayal instead. This missionary was trying to teach them about Jesus, and the only character in the story that they admired was Judas Iscariot. Last I heard, the missionary was making some progress with them, but I haven't heard anything about it in decades. Maybe they ate him.
Even in "civilized" cultures like ours, many moral principles are honored in the breach more than in the keeping. I would like to believe that there is some kind of natural morality intrinsic to the human species but, the more I think about it, I don't think so. I think that cultures come up with rules that are intended to make it easier for everybody to live and work together, but then they have to contend with all the non-conformers who don't give a damn about the welfare of others, or even themselves.
I think I know generally how electro-magnetism works, but I don't think anybody knows how gravity works. I mean, they know what it does, but not how it does it. Einstein defined gravity as the curvature of the time-space continuum around large objects, preferring that concept to what he called "spooky action at a distance". I don't know, to me the spooky action at a distance makes more sense, but I am no Einstein.
Say what you want about Trump, but at least he's consistent. Most politicians seem to change after they've been in office for awhile, but not Trump. He's the same person now as he ever was.
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