What is morality you ask? Morality is someone's loosely constructed list of morals or beliefs that they hold close to them. It is a code of conduct if you will, that allows someone to deem whether or not something is appropriate before the situation actually arises in which they would need to make said decision. Now, how morality came about can be answered in several different ways. One could be that people believed that there were things that were simply evil and should never be done, such as murder or theft. They passed these beliefs onto their children and them onto their children and so on and so forth until these concepts are well known in society today.
Moral codes, while they mean well, can be very limiting in the choices you can make in life, if you choose to follow them. Sure, killing someone is bad but it is not always inappropriate, as many a military or police personal can tell you. It is never something in embrace or celebrate, but if worst comes to worst the option is open. If one needs to follow a 'moral code', it implies they are not good enough at heart to follow these things on their own will. The world today is a flexible one, and you need everything you can give to make it threw this life. Limiting your options or way of thinking is simply foolish, even if it is well intended.
In place of a moral code, would it not be more beneficial to go into life with an open mind and simply attempt to do the right thing in that situation? And while a moral code could supposedly help you do that, a moral code will just get in the way of any decision making. At the end of the day isn't the moral decision the same things as the good decision? There is no need to hold yourself to some holy set of standards when there are so many possibilities in life, in a world that is continually changing.
I think it is interesting how you pointed out that morals sometimes limit you like your example of police and military killing. I disagree with you saying that doing the right thing is the same as doing the good thing. Sometimes doing what is right is not the most beneficial thing to you, but it may feel morally right.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I follow you here, Danny. "If one needs to follow a 'moral code', it implies they are not good enough at heart to follow these things on their own will." I think that morality is not something that someone chooses to have, but is an unconscious state of mind that they follow without control. All decision making is based off your freewill, but it coincides with your morality in that it either agrees with it or conflicts with it. Sort of like your conscience. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI don't think you neccessarily need to live by a moral code. Like Nate said, it can interfere with conflicts and free will and good judgement can be hindered.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is kind of puzzling to me, I don't really understand what you are trying to say. You say that people find murder and theft morally wrong, however people still kill and steal and to them it is not morally wrong. People do things for many reasons. Think about this if a poor mother steals bread for her children to eat is this morally wrong or is it acceptable because she is saving her kids lives? Or what about when someone kills someone over self defense, is that morally wrong as well? I would love to hear your opinion on those.
ReplyDeleteDaniel,
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Nathan's comment and perspective that one can follow their morals without necessarily following a strict moral code that will impede them from making the best decision in any situation. I think fundamentally, ones morals are their code. And while I agree with you that they world is ever changing, I don't think the human condition is ever changing, or what it means to be moral, practice humanity or be a good citizen is changing. Sure we can communicate in ways we could have never imagined 20 or even 10 years ago. We can get any product we want from any part of the world and essentially the world is becoming flat. However, we are all still human and the morals that are embedded in us, what it means to be human isn't changing. Therefore, ones morals and moral code (while they may change over time) are one in the same.
Mr. Kulowiec
PS-I took the time to write this comment because I was particularly struck by your comment and I thought it was absolutely worth responding to. Well done!
Daniel, let me address this as a Christian and a youth pastor. I have had similar conversations like this before and I will be honest and tell you that it is very, very enticing to believe that we have inside us the power, strength, honor, or desire to "be good". If it were possible, you would know someone who does no wrong, stories would be written about them, folklore would be replete with their deeds (remember Lancelot?)
ReplyDeleteIf we could "choose" to do good, we can also choose to do bad. Why do you think we have laws? We have them because we choose to be bad sometimes (or you can believe that we may not have a choice at all.) Laws were not created to keep people from doing bad, laws were created to punish the people who do bad. We also know that laws have been around a long, long time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi
I could write a long time on my Christian beliefs about good and bad, but I suspect you can find a classmate that would be willing to share with you. I also suspect you could find someone of the Muslim faith that could share their views as well (by the way, they have laws too ;)