06 Sep '16 13:57>
Originally posted by sonshipI'll guess at what you mean and try and explain as best I can.
In this group cooperation is it ever possible for the majority of a group to be wrong?
What we call morality is a complex concept largely consisting of behaviours that encourage cooperation. To a large extent is it post justification for our natural instinct.
Our natural instinct has a number of key features that we see played out in what we call morality.
1. The concept of helping / and not harming others but only if it doesn't come at significant personal cost.
2. The concepts surrounding what to do when people do not help / avoid harming others. So all the notions of 'justice' etc. ie how do we react to non-cooperative behaviour and try to encourage cooperation in others.
3. The concepts surrounding relation and group behaviour. We not only accept that people are more likely to help their close relations or group but to some extent include group dynamics in morality, so that things like national pride or dying for your country becomes the moral thing to do.
The above is just a rough summary, it would take a whole book to really go into it all.
You are asking whether in group cooperation the majority can be wrong. In a simplified form of morality where 'cooperation=right' and 'not cooperating=wrong' then if the majority are cooperating for the good of the group then they are right and if they are not cooperating for the good of the group then they are wrong. The latter does occur.
What I suspect you are getting at is the age old question of whether or not morality is decided by the majority. I am saying that no, morality isn't decided at all, morality is about cooperation.