What Is Morality? Who Determines What is Moral, or How is it Determined?
Details
Morality Defined
Morality speaks of a system of behavior in regards to standards of right or wrong behavior. The word carries the concepts of: (1) moral standards, with regard to behavior; (2) moral responsibility, referring to our conscience; and (3) a moral identity, or one who is capable of right or wrong action. Common synonyms include ethics, principles, virtue, and goodness. Morality has become a complicated issue in the multi-cultural world we live in today.
Morality describes the principles that govern our behavior. Without these principles in place, societies cannot survive for long. In today's world, morality is frequently thought of as belonging to a particular religious point of view, but by definition, we see that this is not the case. Consciously or not, everyone adheres to a moral doctrine of some kind.
Some theories of morality are:
Moral Subjectivism - Right and wrong is determined by what you -- the subject -- just happens to think (or 'feel') is right or wrong.
Cultural Relativism - Right and wrong is determined by the particular set of principles or rules the relevant culture just happens to hold at the time.
Ethical Egoism- Right and wrong is determined by what is in your self-interest. Or, it is immoral to act contrary to your self-interest.
Divine Command Theory - Many claim that there is a necessary connection between morality and religion, such that, without religion (in particular, without God or gods) there is no morality, i.e., no right and wrong behaviour.
Most people feel that morality is determined by some form of cultural relativism. However, in this era of multiculturalism, it becomes more complex. When someone says that morality is “determined by society”, the first question we need to ask is, “Which part of society?” This is an important question for several reasons. Before World War II, the Jews were certainly a part of German society. So, if society determines what’s right, then how did the Jews ( being partof that society) end up in the prison camps?
Right now, even within American society, we are split almost 50/50 on everything from our current president, to same-sex marriage to abortion. As a side-note, this “split” within American culture is the reason why it’s no longer reasonable nor meaningful for a politician to claim that he or she wants to represent “the people”, because the question could always be asked, “Which people? Those for abortion, or those against it? Those for same-sex marriage, or those against it?” The point is, how can a society that is so sharply divided over moral issues be said to “determine” what’s right or wrong?
There are other problems with the notion that morality is based on whatever society says. If something is right or wrong based solely on whatever society says, then moral reformers, by definition, would be “immoral” because they are defying that which society says is “right”. Based on that sort of reasoning, we would have to condemn German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer for standing up against Hitler and the Nazi party when he spoke out against their crimes against the Jews. We must also condemn Corrie ten Boom for going against society’s wishes by hiding and protecting Jews from the Nazis. William Wilberforce would have been a “criminal” for defying society and fighting against the slave trade. In our own country, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been considered “immoral” by that definition because he disobeyed racial segregation that was put into place by a society that had already determined what was “right”.
For an interesting presentation: