No, I mean certain actions are ugly. A person could say "cruelty is wrong." But if there's no god this is similar to saying "I don't like cruelty" or "cruelty is ugly."

It is not prudence that stops me from taunting a crippled man on the street. I could probably get away with it if I wanted to do it. But I don't want to do it because I think it would be wrong to do it. What has taste to do with conscience?

what is it that makes you not want to taunt a crippled person? is it conscience? or could it be a matter of taste, preference-in other words you would not find it amusing or satisfying in any way, even though you are not making an ethical judgment about such actions...?

or did you reach the conclusion 'it is wrong' through logic alone? where do these decisions come from i wonder...is compassion or empathy necessary? does compassion and empathy come automatically with age and experience?

i tend to feel that the older one gets the less likely one is to do certain things on the basis of the belief that they are 'wrong'. at least that is the way it worked with me. the longer i lived and the more wrongs (as i perceived them by my definition) were done to me, i got a good grip on how it feels and it didnt make me feel good to think i could be doing that to someone else...first only some people, and eventually just about everyone else, regardless of how many horrible things i think they might have done, to me or whoever.

wouldnt it be nice if we could start out our lives old and progressively get younger and die as innocent infants?

now i am not sure i made myself clear! i meant to say that the older a person gets the less likely he is to do things he thinks will hurt someone else, but it isnt so much because he thinks it is wrong...it is because it wouldnt bring him any pleasure, now that he has had the experience of being wronged by others, which happens rather often in a long life.

I agree.

I would also say that a person might care less what others think as they age, but still act kindly, because it appeals to them.

Sure. And I may act kindly because I think I ought to do so. Even if (as sometime I don't, want to). I am always extremely nice to waiters in restaurants even when they (some of them) are royal pains.

Is there really such a thing as a really true 'Unselfish Deed'? If so, what does such a act entail? What is exempt from an actual truly unselfish act and what is not.