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social norms of today
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In society today there are many religions and cultures that each in their own way preaches different values. Morality is a subject that is often studied and analyzed to evaluate how people act and why they act in that manner. Being moral refers to “what persons ought to do in order to conform to society’s norms of behavior” (Beauchamp, 1997, p.2). Without morality it would be very difficult to have expectations on how people would act within society. This would in turn impact day to day interactions with strangers as with no morals of how one should act to their neighbor, there would be no mutual trust. If someone questions the conventional customs and laws of their culture and religion, why should they be good? If someone does not want to conform to the norms of their religion, they will have little to no …show more content…
As human beings who interact in a society with other humans, we care a great deal about what others think about us. These judgements of others on someone are made from how you speak to them, your body language towards them, and especially your actions. As people want to uphold a good reputation, they will want to act good and moral. Additionally many religions emphasize what happens to your spirit in the after life. They preach that where you go in your after life is decided by the good and bad you do in your time on earth. This enforces many to act morally as they want to be happy in their after life. Also we all have a moral conscience that we use every single day to make decisions. Kant eluded that we feel “compelled to pass moral judgements on ourselves” (Wren, 1991, p. 22). Nobody truly wants to believe that they aren’t a good person. Therefore in order to pass positive moral judgment on one’s self, they act good and conform to society’s ideals and in turn are a valuable member of their
The morals of society concept is exemplified by the Judeo-Christian religions. These religions base their moral principles on their respective religious texts that they believe to contain God’s will.
My father has always reminded me that religion plays a big role in one’s morals. Of course that only applies if a person is religious and has a religious background. There are a lot of religious people in this world, and if one were to ask them where their morals came from, they would say that it is based on their religion. So what is it that makes these two things so similar and distinct? Iris Murdoch, author of “Morality and Religion,” discusses how morals and religion need each other in order to work. Morals without religion is nearly impossible because; religion influences our morals, religion allows to set better morals for one’s self, and ideally morality is essentially religious.
Morals are set standards of right and wrong for society as a whole. One ’s self image of morals are what the individual thinks is right and wrong according to what he or she learns; however, this “Internal compass” can be influenced because society controls most of what they learn. One’s self image of morals allows an individual to provide compelling arguments, provides emotional stability and allows for an individual to have predetermined views of right and wrong; on account of the fact that said individuals choose to follow the revolutionary figures who provide a strong base for the creation of one’s self image of morals. In most cases, religion plays a major role in the creation of this aspect of identity; made evident in Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in which, through use of historical and religious examples, Dr. King justifies his participation in a non-violent protest to expedite the process of integration. Also, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how an individual’s self image of morals provide a strong emotional base and an unwavering sense of right and wrong. Even my own experiences have led me to believe that having a strong self image of morals allows an individual to be emotionally stable, and have a strong sense of right and wrong.
In Western society and culture, religion and morality have often intertwined and they have reflected their values onto each other. Today it is sometimes impossible to make a distinction between the two, since their influence has transcended generations. In modern Western culture, religion and society preach conformity. In order to be a “good” person, one must conform to the values imposed by the church1 and state.
Over many years people have seemed to develop their thinking concerning morality based on resulting in interactions with individuals and social institutions. Different societies have their own cultures that have different ideas about how humans are to behave. Societies
Morality is what is right and wrong according to values or beliefs governing a community’s behaviour, and it is not fixed which means it can change over the time has time changes and generally morality has to do with beliefs and differs from country to country and from individual to individual.
Giving to the homeless, assisting an elderly woman across the street, and conducting oneself with integrity are all examples of moral acts. Often we consider doing nice things for our family and friends, or going out of our way to help someone in need a “Good Samaritan” act. However, benevolence and moral adherence are only a few of the qualifications necessary for a belief in God and good morality. A moral is defined as, “pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical” (Dictionary.com). “Objective morality” is our society’s way of signifying that some behaviors are right (honesty, kindness, patience) and some behaviors are wrong (stealing, racism, abuse). We are told by our parents, from atheists, and in holiday songs to be “good for goodness sake,” but is that the only reason we have to be good? Many people were taught, and expected, from a young age to uphold integrity and morality because it is right. Most religious people disagree with morality deprived of God and believe that a person can only be good with God, but it is indeed possible for people to be good without the knowledge of God. I contend that humans can be lacking religion and still know the concept of right or wrong, and that morality can exist independent from God.
Morals are having principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct (“Morals”). Having morals is something that people can have or lack. In religion, believing in a god with morals is a necessity. In Ancient Greece, however, Greek religion believed in gods and goddesses with immoral behaviors.
All religions advise people to do-good deeds and refrain from doing evil. But what is the benefit of doing good? What is the value of morality? We often say "Good deeds bring about good rewards, and evil deeds hard retributions. What role does the concept of good and evil play in the Western traditions? Western traditions believe that God is the creator and sustainer of all things. We would not even be self aware, let alone aware of right and wrong, if God had not created within us His image, and therefore the ability to make moral distinctions. The truth is we have no reference point for all this discussion about morality except as God reveals it. For us to argue with the source of morality is for the clay to argue with the potter. Some philosophers say that for God to define what is right or wrong is arbitrary. God is not arbitrary; He is the source of all life and therefore the source of all truth. We have no basis to even understand the concept of being arbitrary except in reference to an unchanging God. If we recognize the nature of man, which is if man were not fallen, i.e., not corrupted by sin, we would have limitless potential to create from within ourselves a universal moral code. But, we are a fallen lot, every last one of us, and therefore incapable of fully knowing what is good (Rom. 3:23). We are even incapable of carrying out what we do know to be good (Rom. 7:18-21). So the question of right or wrong has everything to do with the origin of our belief, not just the substance of it. No matter how sincerely I believe I am right about some moral decision, the true test is in the origin of that belief. And God is the only universal and absolute origin to all morality (Casey, 1997).
Morality is a human invention. The universe knows no good or bad. To quote the Tao Teh Ching, "Heaven and Earth in not sentimental; it treats all things as straw dogs." Since there is not any law higher than the law of evolution, that is, the survival of the fittest, we must look to ourselves, and hope we are fit.
In society, people are faced with decisions on a day to day basis. For example, whether to help a friend out of a sticky situation or not, or even something as simple as finding money on the floor, now what do you do with it? With this, we must know what morality is. We must also realize how and where morality comes into our life as well as the effects it has on people.
Throughout history, humankind has looked back to the past, to seek the truth about morals, religion, and how they both impact and define civilization. Stories and myths from ancient Greece show overbearing resemblance to our own Bible as both shun the many temptations of our soul either by teaching the value of a characteristic or warning of the "ill fruits reaped". Dante Alighieri revealed in his Divine Comedy that "Pride, Envy, and Avarice are the three sparks, [the three universal deadly sins] that have set these hearts on fire" (Bartlett 80). This statement is quite true for these three enticements have existed evidently in belief systems and moral codes since the creation of fire. One of the most obvious portrayals of avarice or greed in Greek mythology is the tragic story of King Midas and his golden touch (Coolidge 90). Midas longed to be the wealthiest man in the world and asked the most foolish request of Dionysus -- to have the golden touch. Too late Midas realized his folly, for as he dined. The food and ale in his mouth quickly turned to hard metal. Midas shocked at the fate he had bestowed upon himself left the great hall in search of Dionysus, the god of festival, but came across his daughter. Unfortunately before heeding his warning, she gave her father a loving embrace and immediately turned to the yellowish element (MacPherson 49-50). Midas survived but paid the eternal price. Through this toil, he learned that no matter how precious gold is, once down to bare essentials it can not buy back love or life lost or even sustain life. The Christian Bible incorporates this myth’s moral interpretation as well. One of the most notorious events that teaches Christians of today the dangers and re...
Judgments of the heart between good and evil, right and wrong that is moralities purest form. Morality is a misleading mistress because, whatever is decided as moral and immoral can be just as easily justified as the opposite in a new era. Many with a rationalist view will describe morality as a virtue which allows for laws and justice to take place. An immoral action is an action taken through the perpetrator believing they will receive no punishment. A question is then presented why are there such distinct classifications of morality and immorality? Glaucon wants to prove that men are only moral so that justice will be had for them if something immoral or unjust is done unto them. He also wants establish that the origin of morality is not found in man themselves but in the fact they do not want immoral or unjust crimes committed against them. He tries to provide adequate instances, but the most preferred method for choosing any action moral or immoral is by using different instances in history with the same information. As well, Glaucon also wants to prove that an immoral life is better than a moral. He provides few examples to support his theories toward Socrates during their battle of wits. While I understand his theories I choose to disagree because there are underlining circumstances that show why a man may choose to be immoral. And in many instances those choices are not selected by preference but by necessity. I agree with Glaucon to the extent that wealth and power tend to lead individuals to immoral actions, but I disagree that this observation applies to all individuals if they were to face the same obstacles. Morality is based upon will and desire. In Plato’s recount of the argument I receive the implication that each...
To act morally means one must think and act in such a way that always considers, supports, and attempts to improve general welfare; furthermore, such thoughts and actions must occur because of moral intentions, not just because one has to. Also, pre-defined rules exist for the common good and these rules help with moral judgment. Such rules would include “no killing”, “no stealing”, and “no lying”. These don’t exist to provide an advantage or cause disadvantage—they exist simply for the good of every individual. To have morality means one must always adhere to these rules no matter the consequences, who is affected, or how it happens, because they only ensure the most good for everyone. However, one’s own standards for morality must also remain considerate of that of others’.
In other to evaluate the nature of a culture/society, morals and ethics are needed. What exactly is “morals”? Merriam-Webster defines “morals” as concerning or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior, basically what one think is right or good. Ethics, on the other hand is the discipline relating to right and wrong, moral duty and obligation, and moral principles and values. They both can have a similar definition but they both have their distinctions. "Ethics" is a universal or philosophical system of moral principles and values, while “morality" is the relative standards or values of any social group or person.