ethics/morality in the modern age....

[Peter Kropotkin]

In our understanding of ethics/morals, a couple of things
stand out.... first, all ethics/morality have has their
basis, rewards and/or punishments...an example of this
is the ethically basis of the Christian religion...
believe and you will be rewarded with a trip to heaven,
deny and you will punish with hell...

The Christian religion provides us with a great example of the nature
of rewards and punishment within ethics and morality.....

(which begs the question, would Christianity even be important if
it didn't have the reward/punishment factor within it... in other words,
would you or anyone believe in Christianity without it rewards/punishments?
Take those away and Christianity would fade into nothingness..
Would you still believe if Christianity didn't have any rewards or punishments?)

Buddhism is another example of reward/punishment... if you don't follow the
"path" you are punished by being born again and again and again.. to avoid
being eternally punished by rebirth, one must reach "nirvana" which literally
means "blowing out" or quenching of the activities of the worldly mind and its
related suffering... the path to Nirvana is reached when one has removed or
made extinct, the three fires of existence, greed, aversion and ignorance....
Once again, the goal lies within reward or punishment...

And what does the state do in regard to morality/ethics?
The state engages in punishment, not rewards.. follow these
rules and you won't be punished...

So the question of ethics/morality lie within the rewards and punishment
that is laid out in regard to ethics/morality....

is it possible to have an ethic/moral system that doesn't have
rewards or punishment? We act because it is the right thing, regardless
of any possible reward or punishment....

This is in essence the Kantian ethical system, one in which we act
morally/ethically based on duty.... and just exactly how many people
act upon or engage in ethics/morals within the Kantian system?
Very few, if any... and why not? Because the question arises,
what benefit do I get if I act morally/ethically according to Kant?
Where is my payoff if I am moral or ethical? And that might be
the key question of ethics/morals... what is my payoff for being
ethical/moral? Remove rewards/punishment from ethical/moral
considerations and you remove the reason for anyone to be
moral/ethical.... for what is my payoff for being moral/ethical?

There is an answer to this question, but let us first think about
ethics/moral being a question of rewards/punishments....

Kropotkin

[Peter Kropotkin]

Now for me, the question of ethics/moral isn't what ethics/moral should
we follow but why... what exactly is the point of, the value of having
ethics/morals? Why do we have ethics/morals?
What is the point of engaging in being ethical/moral?
are we ethical/moral because of our beliefs/actions or are
we ethical/moral because of the state? Who benefits when
we are ethical/moral? Who gains what when human beings
act ethically/morally?

Kropotkin

[Iwannaplato]

is it possible to have an ethic/moral system that doesn't have
rewards or punishment? We act because it is the right thing, regardless
of any possible reward or punishment....

Virtue ethics could avoid this, depending on your version of it...
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethi ... jeVirtEthi

Further, this is a very skewed view of Buddhism.

Buddhism is another example of reward/punishment... if you don't follow the
"path" you are punished by being born again and again and again.. to avoid
being eternally punished by rebirth, one must reach "nirvana" which literally
means "blowing out" or quenching of the activities of the worldly mind and its
related suffering... the path to Nirvana is reached when one has removed or
made extinct, the three fires of existence, greed, aversion and ignorance....
Once again, the goal lies within reward or punishment...

They certainly do not view it as punishment. That would go against Buddhist ideas.
To say Buddhist practice and philosophy views it as punishment and reward is a bit like saying a couple is punished for not going to a marriage counselor when they aren't getting along at all. The idea is that it will/can help.
Or saying if your car is performing badly and several display lights are not and you don't take it to the shop you are punished.
I'm not a Buddhist but this was a confused interpretation. It sounds like a Western moral and I dare say neo-Christian projection onto Buddhism.

Of course there are people who never go to the dentist or take their cars to be serviced and some of them may feel they are being punished for their lack of self-care, but it is not a Buddhist or dental or mechanic's ideology that gives them any ground for this.

It is posited as a way to relieve suffering. And according to Buddhism, you are already suffering, and there is no 'deserving' to suffer.