What is wrong and how do we decide this?
I visited a debate forum and someone asked the question, "What is wrong?" What is ethically or morally wrong and how do we decide this? Murder is wrong, but why? Without resorting to the Ten Commandments or other religious texts, or saying that it's against the law or society.
This is my response.
The Japanese believe that each person has three faces. The first face is what they show the world. The second face is what they show their friends and family. Only the individula can see their true face.
Morals and ethics operate in a very similar manner.
Everyone is imbued with the morals and ethics of their society (the first face). These societal morals are represented by Laws and enforced by police. Speeding, stealing and such are covered by these. This also includes institutions like work, church, and school.
Friends and family make up our moral and ethical second face. If you grew up with racsist friends or family, you will more than likely be racsist yourself. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, but familial pressure can be greater. If your family and friends are devoted church members, chances are you are too.
Last is yourself. In the end, you make you own decision of what is right and wrong. You are the final judge. This is your True Face.
Morals and ethics change with culture.
Beating and hanging a man because of the color of his skin is accepted in certain parts of the world.
So is ritual suicide.
And having multiple wives.
Who gets to decide what is right and what's wrong?
Why is having more than one wife wrong? How does ritual suicide harm society?
Why is it accepted to have a channel devoted to Black Entertainment on TV but rascist to have a channel devoted to White Entertainment?
Why is a Women Only college permitted but not a Men Only school allowed?
Popular opinion, the views of prominant churches, and the reluctance to change old laws. That's what decides these questions.
I believe that attacking another person because of the color of their skin is wrong. I believe that BET and Women Only schools are racsist and segregation respectively, and that is wrong.
I believe that polygamy and ritual suicide are not wrong. I believe that each of these are the choice of the individuals involved and no one else.
Remember, ethics and morals boil down to the good of the many outweighing the good of the few or the one.
This is my response.
The Japanese believe that each person has three faces. The first face is what they show the world. The second face is what they show their friends and family. Only the individula can see their true face.
Morals and ethics operate in a very similar manner.
Everyone is imbued with the morals and ethics of their society (the first face). These societal morals are represented by Laws and enforced by police. Speeding, stealing and such are covered by these. This also includes institutions like work, church, and school.
Friends and family make up our moral and ethical second face. If you grew up with racsist friends or family, you will more than likely be racsist yourself. Peer pressure is a powerful thing, but familial pressure can be greater. If your family and friends are devoted church members, chances are you are too.
Last is yourself. In the end, you make you own decision of what is right and wrong. You are the final judge. This is your True Face.
Morals and ethics change with culture.
Beating and hanging a man because of the color of his skin is accepted in certain parts of the world.
So is ritual suicide.
And having multiple wives.
Who gets to decide what is right and what's wrong?
Why is having more than one wife wrong? How does ritual suicide harm society?
Why is it accepted to have a channel devoted to Black Entertainment on TV but rascist to have a channel devoted to White Entertainment?
Why is a Women Only college permitted but not a Men Only school allowed?
Popular opinion, the views of prominant churches, and the reluctance to change old laws. That's what decides these questions.
I believe that attacking another person because of the color of their skin is wrong. I believe that BET and Women Only schools are racsist and segregation respectively, and that is wrong.
I believe that polygamy and ritual suicide are not wrong. I believe that each of these are the choice of the individuals involved and no one else.
Remember, ethics and morals boil down to the good of the many outweighing the good of the few or the one.
posted by Keko at 15:26
2 Comments:
It is true that what is "acceptable" changes with societies accross the globe, but I believe that there are some things that are simply wrong no matter which culture you come from. These are usually the things that most cultures in the world accept as unacceptable. Everyone is born with a concience. This is strengthened and molded by their parents, and society, but everyone has it, at least for a little while.
Things I think are universally considered morally wrong are things that violate another person on the deepest lvls. It is socially wrong to be rude, but this is not deeply morally wrong. Murder is wrong, but killing is not necessarily. Murder is defined as the willful taking of another person's life for the purpose of killing them (not self defense, not accidental, not execution for a crime, etc). Some people may feel that execution for a crime is murder, but most societies in the world agree that there are some crimes that deserve the penalty of death. Murder is morally wrong not because God says that it is, but because it is the ultimate violation of another person. Another version of this is Rape. It may sound silly, but if you would not want someone to do it to you, then it is "wrong" for you to do it to someone else.
I, also, believe in a concept called absolute truth, which many people do not believe in. I believe that there is 1 truth, not several relative truths running around. There is either right or wrong, no matter what your society, parents, friends, or inner demons tell you. The problem, of course, comes when my view of absolute truth conflicts with yours, or what you wish to do. Thus we have laws in a society. Laws and social mores are required to make living with a larger group of humans possible. When it becomes acceptable by a large group of that population to break these social or actual laws, the foundation of society begins to break down, and it leads to anarchy (the state of everyone acting to their own personal feelings, whims, and wants without regaurd for any other human being).
You're pretty good at this. If you wanna join the debate site that I found it is at:
http://www.debateforums.net/index.php?
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