Changing Morals

[Tambourine]

As for "Changing Morals" and rape, what changed was the perception of women. For an inordinate period of time women were viewed as property and rape as property damage. Some might argue that we have not progressed all that much.

I would contend that in this case, it's not so much that "we" have progressed, but that women attained enough power and influence that they could push against that moral narrative and at least partially substitute it for a better one that acknowledges their own experiences and needs. One reason why this is not complete is because we still live in a society where the patriarchs largely dominate public discourse.

As a wider point, I would argue that public morals are often intertwined with the political, social and economic order, and frequently exist to uphold or propagate that order. For example, slavery was considered moral in societies where it was economically useful and politically expedient.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I would contend that in this case, it's not so much that "we" have progressed, but that women attained enough power and influence that they could push against that moral narrative and at least partially substitute it for a better one that acknowledges their own experiences and needs. One reason why this is not complete is because we still live in a society where the patriarchs largely dominate public discourse.

As a wider point, I would argue that public morals are often intertwined with the political, social and economic order, and frequently exist to uphold or propagate that order. For example, slavery was considered moral in societies where it was economically useful and politically expedient.

OK ...

 

[Tambourine]

OK ...

What I'm trying to get at is that morals don't automatically progress, they are elements in social and political struggles. And when our social or political order changes, so will our morals.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What I'm trying to get at is that morals don't automatically progress, they are elements in social and political struggles. And when our social or political order changes, so will our morals.

"It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness." - Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy

 

[Tambourine]

Indeed.