[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I would argue that even in the total absence of religious commandments, societal taboos, moral proscriptions, or legal prohibitions against murder, a great majority of people would not kill a child, one because of fear of retribution by the child’s parents, and two because they would not wish the same fate to befall their own children.[/quote]
That was both simple and eloquent. I’m going to expand on it anyway. 
Your first point summarizes your earlier post on the Golden Rule, or as Michael said, explains why people behave as if killing children is wrong. Your second point addresses his more fundamental question, ie. why killing children is wrong.
The Golden Rule can be interpreted two ways. One is pragmatic: “I’m not gonna do anything bad to you, 'cause I don’t want to give you or your buddies a reason to do anything bad to me.”
But that still leaves us free to slit our neighbor’s throat while he’s sleeping and steal his gold… or shoot his kids… as long as nobody else catches us. Kind of unsatisfying as the sole basis for a system of morality.
The other interpretation of the Golden Rule is: “I’m not gonna do anything bad to you, 'cause I realize that you’re just like me, full of the same feelings, the same love of life and fear of death, and if the bad thing would cause me pain, then it would cause you pain as well, so I won’t do it to you, brother. Or to your family. Instead, let’s go down to the village tonight and have a beer together, play a few rounds of boules, maybe share a few jokes with the new barmaid, and forget our differences.”
I don’t know what to call the latter interpretation. The spiritual interpretation? Anyway, it’s what I was getting at in my previous post when I talked about empathy… and I suspect it’s what certain religious figures were talking about when they said “love thy brother.” But I don’t think you need to hold any supernatural beliefs in order to have empathy and brotherly love for your fellow man.
