Who Decides What Is Moral Or Immoral?

[Sunstone]

Who decides what is moral or immoral? Is this something that must be decided by appeal to some authority (such as the Bible or Qur'an)? Or is this something that can be established by reason?

What role does experience play in deciding what's moral or immoral? Has your experience of life ever lead you to change your views of what is or isn't moral? If so, what happened?

Is morality a matter of wisdom? Must we be wise to be truly moral? Must we be wise to be truly good people?

Last, is it true that true that Evearael once believed herself to be polygamous because she loved each and every one of her bathtube toys equally, or is this just another silly RF rumor no one knows how it got started?

 

[Ðanisty]

I voted for experience and wisdom. Everyone must make the choice for themselves what is moral and what is immoral.

My morality has changed, but only to add more things as moral. I don't believe I've ever decided that something I approved of is suddenly unacceptable.

 

[cardero]

Who decides what is moral or immoral?

The majority (or politician's wives) and that doesn't always mean that it sticks.

 

[MaddLlama]

All of the above. Except the last one, I don't have a duck.

 

[retrorich]

Each individual determines his/her own code of morality (except those individuals who are guided solely by religious dogma). However, individuals must cope with the effects of established civil law and widely accepted unwritten codes of morality.

 

[eudaimonia]

No one decides what is moral or immoral. It is a discovery, not a decision. Reality "decides" what is moral or immoral, and only in a metaphorical sense.

If you are asking: who should decide for you what to regard as moral or immoral, I think that you as a moral agent are responsible for making the best judgment you can, and that may involve seeking the advice of the wise, such as a philosopher.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[kreeden]

On a large scale , society decides what is moral and what is not . Religion , philosophy , and personal experience all play a part , but social acceptance plays the largest role I believe .

Dress codes , sex , foods , they are all more or less cutlural things .

 

[Ðanisty]

On a large scale , society decides what is moral and what is not . Religion , philosophy , and personal experience all play a part , but social acceptance plays the largest role I believe .

Dress codes , sex , foods , they are all more or less cutlural things .

Society decides society's morality...not each person's morality.

 

[kreeden]

Society decides society's morality...not each person's morality.

I agree , to a point . As I said , personal experience does play a role . But most of our personal experiences depends upon the society that we live within . Now , there has always been rebels ....

But if you look at history , most often just how far those rebels got depened upon how .... what is the word I'm looking for here ??? Actually , there are many factors that comes into play . But if society is too closed , that rebel doesn't live for long . Which of course leads to a martyr and a cause that may change society's views ....

For excample , there was a story in a local paper about a young lady who had spent several years working in Muslim countries in the Middle East . She spoke of how selfconcsious she was going out in public wearing shorts . Although she had grown up in Canada , she had become use to living with Muslim ideas on morality . { by now , I'm sure that she is quite comfortible going to the market in shorts } .

 

[PHOTOTAKER]

we are all immortal we just live in mortal bodies....

 

[kreeden]

Ah , Phototaker I believe that was moral , not mortal .

 

[PHOTOTAKER]

opps...

 

[Æsahættr]

I voted other. I don't think it comes from something like wisdom or lifeexperience purely, nor should any authority be given the responsibity of deciding what is moral.

Morality is a concept that we've invented ourselves, though none the worse for that, and it is whatever we want it to be. Each person should come to their own moral conclusions, but not by shutting off discussion of the subject with others and by ignoring arguments against the lines of thought that lead them to certain conclusions. Then society needs to define itself using the consensus views on morality, but without crowding out the possibility of minority moral views, simply that things like laws need to follow a consensus view.

 

[Fluffy]

I feel that morality is relative. So technically, I would have to say that it is not our wisdom but my wisdom. But the source is still essentially the same so I checked that option.

 

[kreeden]

Good point Fluffy .

 

[cardero]

Ah , Phototaker I believe that was moral , not mortal .

opps...

Never Mind.

 

[kreeden]

Your bad Cardero .

 

[coberst]

The community sets standards of morality but ultimately the individual is responsible to their actions.

 

[ladyhawke]

i think ultimately we decide what we are prepared to accept and how far we go,our personal morals are not something that can be forced on us by anyone.

 

[kateyes]

I think society and the community you exist within establish the morals for that group. Many issues that are considered moral--tend to be good for the community as a whole (such as not stealing, or murdering, even to a certain extent not lying). People choose to live within the morals of the community or leave. The part of morality that always interested me was the fluctuation. So for example polygamy is not moral by western urban standards--but is/was acceptable in rural agrarian societies in Africa and Asia. More wives meant more children--which translated to more workers. Another example would be 1st cousin marriages--which are considered as immoral in the West--but have been preferred in Nepalese society for centuries-it helps prevent the transfer of limited amounts of property. To me most moral issues really translate into what works and helps hold a society or community together. The society/community itself makes the rules--and changes them with need/demand.