I was thinking about how science functions in today’s world and how it has been progressing so rapidly based on FUNDAMENTAL principles established by some of the great thinkers of the past. These basic principles have permeated science to such an extent that it is even possible to be entirely unaware of them. In the same way I feel fundamental religious principles have permeated society. Taking it a step further, what is “morailty” and how did it start?

There *are* places that have gone from dirt roads to tarmac without signs: visit many cities in Africa. No surprise, perhaps, that traffic fatalities are higher than malaria deaths in Nairobi. I recently blogged about an experiment with putting signs inside buses, which urge passengers to tell the driver to slow down. The result? A 75% reduction in the frequency of accidents.

It goes to show you that even if we do have an inherent moral compass, we don’t always express it in public. The bus signs solve a collective action problem — everyone wants the driver to slow down but no one wants to be the first to do the right think. In a similar way, perhaps, religion does something more cultivate personal morality. It also provides a social order in which we can express our inherent nobility with greater confidence.