Are the Ten Commandments the foundation of the Anglo-American legal system?

[Ross S. Heckmann]

My response is below in square brackets.

Very truly yours,

Ross S. Heckmann
Attorney at Law
Arcadia, California
  In a message dated 12/18/2004 4:52:01 PM Eastern Standard Time, rheckmann at altrionet.com writes:
    They would maintain that The Ten Commandments embody in uncorrupted form what was originally written on the conscience of each and all.

          If I understand Mr. Heckmann's response correctly, the Ten Commandments become morally superfluous.  We need only to consult conscience for the basis of morality. If one replies that conscience is socially corrupted, we have no way of guaranteeing that our understanding of the Ten Commandments or of conscience of that matter isn't also socially corrupted. If so, the idea of "social corruption" engenders an intractable form of skepticism regarding the basis of morality.

  [Heckmann responds:  I am sorry I did not make myself clearer.  The conscience in conjunction with the Ten Commandments is far clearer than the conscience by itself.  The Ten Commandments should not be regarded as engendering moral skepticism; they should be regarded as helping to retard it.] 
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