Demystifying Morality: What Traffic Laws Teach Us About Ethics

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What if understanding right and wrong didn't require believing in divine commands or mysterious cosmic forces? In this talk, Leslie Allan makes a compelling case that moral laws work just like traffic laws—they're human-created systems designed to help us live together safely and productively. The insight from this analogy? Just as we don't need supernatural explanations for why we should stop at red lights, we don't need them for why we shouldn't lie, steal or harm others. Both systems emerge from our shared need to cooperate and thrive. This down-to-earth approach makes morality accessible to everyone, regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs. It's grounded in what we all share: our common humanity, interdependence and capacity for reasoned cooperation.
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### Speaker


#### Leslie Allan

Leslie Allan studied history and philosophy at La Trobe University in Melbourne, where he was awarded the David Hume Prize for outstanding achievement in philosophy. His professional career spanned learning and development, project management and workplace change management. Now retired, Leslie devotes his time to writing, speaking and humanist advocacy. He previously served as vice-president and secretary of Humanists Victoria and is currently a non-executive director of Humanists Australia. Drawing on a long-standing concern with the influence of religion on individuals and society, in 2018 he founded Australia's first Ex-Religious Support Network. Leslie’s writings, along with recorded talks on philosophy, religion and humanism, are available at [RationalRealm.com](https://www.rationalrealm.com/).