"Man is a moral being, only because he lives in society. Let all social life disappear and morality will disappear with it"– Emile Durkheim
The statement that has been put forward by Emile Durkheim is valid in many ways, and I do believe it is agreeable. A person's character or the guidelines that lead him through life are impacted by society. Not only are we put on a certain path by society, but we are set out to achieve the perception of what is truly right. Also 'right' can be objectified in many ways, yet that which separates moral from immoral is society itself.
Without it we will never know how to deal with life's encounters. At a very young age we decide to follow a set of rules that have been put forward by the people around us,...show more content...
However with social relationships come stress and other negative outcomes. For a person's well–being, it is important to maintain healthy relationships with each other. Despite the significance of maintaining such a relationship, people have been detached to each other due to problems such as political upheaval and peer pressure. People occupy themselves with politics so that they can fight for something they believe in, without the realization that a part of the society we live in is in complete disagreement to what they believe is right. Thus due to this they get completely disconnected with the other side of the society. It is not uncommon to have different views, it is not only in this society, but it exists all around the world. But not being able to find common ground on an issue that affects everyone is going to make it hard to form decisions in the long run. Mostly people involve themselves in such activities so that they can take part in what is in trend or when they are pushed in to that direction. According to a recent research done by mathematician Professor Ernesto Estrada, peer pressure among people in any social group has been in effect and it helps shape decisions (2013). According to his research individuals have interconnectedness in accordance to peer pressure. It manipulates groups of people to trust others without the realization that they are
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Morality and God
Can a person be moral and not believe in God
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PHI 103 Informal Logic
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Morality only exists if we believe in God; therefore if God doesn't exist there is no morality. There have been so many evil acts committed in the name of God that it is difficult to maintain that a belief in God equates to morality. There are situations that happen every day where decisions are made based off of human rights that contradict the word of God. Morality comes from within, it is an understanding of right versus wrong and the ability to choose what is right. Knowing all this a belief in God is not a requirement for a person to be moral. (Mosser, 2011)
We are taught that morals are basically the difference between...show more content... If you do not fear the wrath of God, there is nothing to stop you from committing immoral acts, or any crimes for that matter. Any situation can be overlooked because there is no fear of punishment without a fear of God. Only a person with a firm belief in God can be considered moral because they fear His punishment and desire his reward. God is the only person great enough to enforce moral standards, without his guidance there can be no binding morals. Moral standards come from God and without Him a person cannot be moral.
When we talk in absolutes we ignore possibilities that exist outside of our beliefs. There are many examples of individuals that believed in God who acted immorally, as well as examples of people who do not believe in God acting with good morals. Their beliefs do not determine their morality, their acts do. If we are to base morality solely on a belief in God then which believer do we follow? Do we follow the believer who commits crimes, or only the believer who is an upstanding member of society?
Adolf Hitler was raised as a Catholic, and in his adult life spoke of his religious beliefs. He wanted to create a pure Germany, through areligion known as positive Christianity. Positive Christianity removed the Jewish elements from the standard Christianity doctrine and replaced them with
Nazi philosophy. More than six million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust in the ideal of positive Christianity. Bill Gates is
Morality is defined as a system or code that we humans use to differentiate between right and wrong. This system could be derived from a number of factors: religion, culture, and upbringing. It is difficult enough to determine what an individual's morals are, but going further to determine how we came to possess those morals is even more ambitious. Still, regardless of its difficulty, this subject consumes many philosophers and psychologists. One such moral psychologists, Jonathan Haidt, is theorizing the possibility of evolution causing ones morality. Haidt is a moral psychologist at the Universtiy of Virgina further believes that complex social structures such asreligion and politics as well as our need for social structures affect...show more content...
One is the ancient system, a system that developed before humans could speak. This system drives our emotions. It is with this system that humans received their instinctual reactions to specific situations; it is these sorts of "gut reactions" that enabled human survival in ancient times. The other is a modern system, a system that initiated when language was invented. This system, he explains, is more associated with our ability to reason and judge. This system allows us to question our instinctual reactions and determine some explanation as to why we feel a particular way. However, he feels that these two complex systems are subconsciously active within the individual; he does not believe that people are aware of these concepts affecting their morality. These two systems are the key or answer to why moral dumbfounding occurs. It occurs when the two systems conflictВ when reasoning cannot explain your initial reaction. Furthermore, Haidt believes that emotions are linked more to one's subconscious, while reasoning is linked to one's consciousness. He believes most philosophy focuses too much on the conscious while underestimating the power of the subconscious. In regards to his experiment testing one's disgust for eating one's pet, he believes this disgust originated in ancient times when people first began to eat meat. When beginning this tradition, people had to
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MORALITY (MORALITY)
"He makes the point that we judge particular acts as good or bad and that we say things like, "He ought to have done this or he ought to have done that." How can these be unless there was a supreme morality that we could compare our actions and thoughts against?"
– C.W. Lewis, Author of "Mere Christianity"–The definition of morality is, best described as, "beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior. The degree to which something is right and good. The moral goodness or badness of something", according to Merriam–Webster Dictionary. An article from, Pursing the Truth Ministries, (http://www.pursuingthetruth.org/sermons/files/conscienceAndMorality.htm), it says, "Morality can be broken down into three different areas, Individual morality, Systems of principles and judgments (moral values) shared within a cultural, religious, secular, humanist or philosophical community and Codes of behavior or conduct derived from the moral code." Our moral values are derive by the culture that we live in. For example, our surrounding environment that we choose to surround ourselves with like our religion, our peers, and our towns we live in. We achieve our moral values through our personal experiences, which can be seen through peer pressure, conscience, our beliefs and by the law that we set for ourselves.
The Bible talks about morality and as Christians how we are to live by the principles set forth. In (Mark 7:20–23) NIV, "What comes out
My view of human morality is that it is influenced by individual culture and experience. Because I believe that as human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we develop throughout the course of our lives and contribute to our own sense of reality of ourselves and the society. Regardless of what will influence and mold us throughout our lives, we have the rationality inclined to know between what is right and wrong so that we will do good as we want others to do so. We are exposed to cultural values from many sources: family, peers, education, authorities, and religion. Because we spend most of our formative years with family, the values of the family whether good or bad, are a powerful influence. These are a reflection of an individual character and culture. We are born into a world of values that have existed throughout humanity 's history. We absorb these values as children while we navigate our social environment, processing and reevaluating them throughout our adult lives. Every individual understands that life is important hence he or she needs moral values, which act as guiding principles. Our values form the foundation of our lives. They dictate the choices we make and determine the direction that our life takes. Our values will influence our decisions related to our relationships, career, and other activities we engage in. The world we lived is complicated that there exist no universal morality and absolute freedom and since our morals are
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Morals vs. Ethics
Morals and ethics are often thought of as interchangeable terms, and both can be applied in various situations. Morals are ultimately the "groundwork" for ethics. However, the two nouns have a distinct meaning.
Morals are internal principles that a person focuses upon when deciding between right or wrong conduct. A person's true character can be revealed by understanding that said person's morals. Ethics are a set of rules or rules of conduct that a person follows due to social or company standards. For example, stealing money from your workplace would be considered unethical, and disrespecting your coworkers would be immoral. In addition, both morals and ethics could be applied in both situations.
Another way to explain the difference between the two nouns is to discuss the alleged origins of both morals and ethics. Morality first came about in the Latin language. It is derived from the word "mos", meaning custom. On the other hand, ethics is derived from the Greek word "ethos", meaning character. As I said before, both morals and ethics have similar terminology, but each have a separate description.
When dealing with contracts, each party has a duty to fulfill one's contractual obligations effectively and on time. Each party must exchange must exchange something of value, whether it's money, services, or a product. While morals and ethics aren't exactly terms that come to mind when thinking of value, they both have a
Morals and Ethics in Business
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Morals, Values, and Ethics Morals, values and ethics define who we are and what we believe. Culture, religion, and many other things affect our beliefs. One uses various types off ethics when surrounded by different groups. Knowing between right and wrong is a good foundation to practicing good ethics and morals. These things make morals, ethics, and values important in society. Many things can contribute to what you think is morally right or wrong. Religion, for example, may create a barrier on to what extent you do something. Some religions set rules, or guidelines on which they limit what people do. Cultures, as well, contribute to people's decisions. Many times our values and ethics disagree with different people who hold different...show more content...
This doesn't mean our values or ethics are wrong it just means we think differently than others. When surrounded by different groups, one uses various types of ethics. For example when one is surrounded by friends and brothers or sisters one forgets what on was taught by our elders about manners and about being courteous, but when dealing with elders or a superior, certain carefulness is necessary. One cannot just say anything that pops out into one's head, because one can be judged accordingly and would be thought to be vulgar or disrespectful. We develop many values and ethics through past experiences whether it is a positive or negative experience. These thoughts and beliefs are what guide us through our life. Knowing between right and wrong is a good foundation to practicing good ethics and morals. In today's world, individuals can make a single decision that can have an extreme positive or negative effect on their family, their employer, a nation, and even on the entire world. The life we lead reflects the strength of our character. For example, if we choose to steal, instead of earning it that makes one of weak character or morals. Like in The Pardoner's Tale from Chaucer, " greed is the root of all evil." Ethics are different for each person, but for the most part, people want to be known as a good person. One wants to be known as someone who can be trusted, and one is concerned about his or her relationships
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Morality is Universal 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...show more content...
Defying his brother, father, and family for the sake of avarice, Jacob used trickery to deceive his father and steal the inheritance (Genesis 25:13). In this instance, Jacob's theft and departure results in a family torn to pieces. This lesson of greed turned disaster is a valued one that today's society must incorporate in order to reach a higher level of being. Unfortunately, pleasant epithets such as "acquisitiveness" and "determined" that are viewed in the business world as favorable mask this foul character trait in our present culture. Today, there are no gods and goddesses to openly and immediately prosecute the cupidity and so this character trait spreads like wild fire from one cut–throat to the next. Instead, the greedy realize their blunder only at death when they fall from the glorious gates of Heaven to fiery depths of Hell, where they can covet only fire from their neighbor. Mythological and biblical text most often target arrogance of all moral lessons. The Bible clearly warns, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). One of the many myths in Grecian time that cautions the vile effects of hubris is the folk–tale of Arachne (Switzer 25). Arachne was so skilled in the art of weaving that observers came from miles around to watch her enchanting motions on the spinner produce such magnificent tapestries. Over time, the girl's
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Everyone has their own unique culture that they identify with which plays a huge role in shaping a person's identity. Our values, morals, and experiences are structured by the society and culture that surround us each day. A person's beliefs and morals are formed by culture and remains throughout their entire life. Culture varies from one place to another and it makes people throughout the world similar but very different as well. It made you the person you are today and determines who or what you choose to associate yourself with in the future. One element of culture is the learned behavior patterns and associated with it that we develop as we grow up living within the culture. Learned behavior isn't something that is only exhibited by humans, but as well as animals such as dogs and cats that follow what their owner teaches them. Learned behaviors represent a crucial part of culture which can mean almost anything, from the way choose to dress to what we decide what is edible and inedible. Whenever we listen to music, celebrate holidays with others, cross our legs, or go out for relaxation we are practicing parts of our culture. We are not born behaving like we belong to that culture. To be socially acceptable citizens of a culture, we are taught from childhood of what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Along with this, we are trained to become a part of our surrounding culture. Apart from what we are taught, we also learn from people around us, from situations we
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Philosophers around the world have debated the meaning of morality for centuries. However, it is a word too subjective to be either denoted or defined. Aristotle, often referred to as the father of philosophy, advised that one could determine what is moral by examining the mean between two "less desirable" extremes. For example, courage is a mean between fear and thoughtless rashness; generosity, between extravagance and parsimony. Plato argued that "to know the good is to do the good." In other words, those who behave immorally due so out of mere ignorance, not defiance. Furthermore, Plato believed that a moral person is a truly happy person; and because people always desire their own happiness, they always...show more content... This reward system trains us to believe that what is legal is moral. Although a person may be a law–abiding citizen, he or she may not necessarily be moral.
The morality of an individual is also based on his or her childhood. Parents have an immense effect on their children's values. For instance, if parents teach their child at early ages to be a hard–worker, to be honest and true, and to have integrity, then it is likely that the child will grow up with these morals instilled within them. However, some children grow to be the antithesis of their parents. They see that their parents are immoral and so they intentionally grow to think and behave differently. If so, is the child immoral for defying his or her parents, or is the child moral for defying his or her immoral parents?
Another factor in determining one's morals is one's religiosity. For instance, some religions, such as Hinduism, believe in animal sacrifices as a way of worshiping; however, other religions, such as Catholicism, do not. Thus, to a Catholic, the sacrifice of innocent animals may seem immoral whereas followers of the Hindu religion view the practice as sacred. Therefore, one cannot conclude that simply because a person is religious, he or she is also moral. There are thousands of religions throughout the world; who has the authority to determine whose
What is Morality? Essay
What is Morality?
Morality is an important component of a human being because it helps shape the ethical foundation that every human being has. Whether to be good, evil, honest, or deceitful are just some of the traits morality helps us develop. Thus, it is evident that morality is a crucial component of a human being. However, what ultimately drives moral action? This question is debated and investigated against many philosophers, a few of them being Thomas Hobbes, Frans de Waal, and David Hume. Hobbes believes that in the state of nature, humans have no laws, morals, police force, property, government, culture, knowledge, or durable infrastructure. Within this state of nature, people have no morals and do as they please without any consequence. As...show more content... Both are powerful forces that contribute to morality. However, Hume concludes that it is the sentiment, feeling, or pleasure that human beings feel that ultimately shape their morality.
Both Hume and Hobbes have opposing views regarding whether or not humans are naturally moral. Hume believes that humans are naturally moral. According to Hume, humans derive their morality through sentiments or feelings that help shape behavior and action. Hobbes, however, believes that humans are selfish individuals and in turn do not have moral values. This is described as the state of nature. He further believes that humans do not have a unified moral code or system and must thus find a higher power that would help shape their behavior. Such a power, Hobbes argues, should be the government as it develops laws that all humans must abide by. Hobbes describes this as common wealth. Frans de Waal begins his argument by first stating the question as to whether or not a human's moral actions originated from the psychological and behavioral nature of our evolutionary ancestors. He concludes this thought by saying that our moral actions do, in fact, originate from the psychological and behavioral nature of our evolutionary ancestors. De Waal further argues that the foundations of human morals are found in the primates of today. They are composed of actions and emotions whose evolutionary role assists us in our social organization and unity. In the beginning pages of his book, De Waal
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