ABSTRACT
The first known ethical precepts were passed down by word of mouth from parents and elders, but as societies learned to use the written word, they began to set down their ethical beliefs in records. These records constitute the first historical evidence of the origins of ethics. For example, Greek historian Herodotus (430-420 BC) reported that the Persian king Darius I (550-486 BC) summoned some Greeks before him and asked them how much he would have to pay them to eat their fathers’ dead bodies. They refused to do it at any price. According to Herodotus, Darius then summoned some Indians who by custom ate the bodies of their parents and asked them what would make them willing to burn their fathers’ bodies. The Indians reportedly cried out that he should not mention so horrid an act. Herodotus used this example to illustrate the concept that each society has its own ideas about what is moral and what is not (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008). This scenario points out how often our concept of what is right and what is wrong is shaped by our culture.
