Breaking The Code: The Equation Of Morality

Coming from the point where humans were created in God’s image, it follows that they have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. From the rules of conduct given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the Ten Commandments given to the Israelites, we see that God throughout history has prescribed what is considered right and what is wrong. Jesus summarized these commandments as loving God and loving our neighbors in Matthew 22:37- 40. Similarly, the fact that we were created in God’s image means that we have an inner ability to know what is wrong and right – conscience (Romans 2:15).

Morality is a particular system of values and principles of conduct. My interpretation of this is the distinction of right and wrong. Everyone has a personal morals, whether it’s through a group, organization, or just the way their parents brought them up. Morals help create an organized society, they are like unwritten laws. There are so many morals out there the government could not make them all laws, so although morals help govern the world they are not actual laws. Without morals the world would be nothing but chaos. Being honest, fair and just, making the world a better place, respecting others, and being open minded are just a few examples.

Ever since the early 17th century, the Jews in Philadelphia have been striving to become an important part of the American society, while staying true to their roots. Although the Jews faced exile from their homelands of Portugal and Spain, they were able to build and sustain a strong Jewish community within Philadelphia and pave the way for future generations through extensive actions throughout the community. They built hundreds of Jewish schools, Community Centres, synagogues and established many congregations. They became strongly involved in the American society and paved the way for many of America’s moral codes (Telushkin). There are currently 275, 850 Jews in Philadelphia, making it one of the strongest Jewish communities in the United States (Levine).

The first thing that stood out most for me during Mr. Ariely presentation “Our Buggy Moral Code” was when he told his story about being a patient in the burn unit and when he went back to talk to the nurses that took care of him. This was intriguing to me because as healthcare providers who tend to think we know what is best and how to achieve those task in the best manner. When questioned by someone especially a patient about maybe doing the task differently, you almost have an arrogant demeanor and scoff at what they suggest. Some healthcare providers later on, away from the patient even state “well since they are such an expert why did they come here for us to do it”. This is such an atrocious response, I think as individuals when we do

Nothing is morally

to have a set of universal morals? There are many questions that surround the mystery of morals. They

Our morals are what defined the line between deviant behaviour and non-deviant behaviour. We get our morals from: family, friends, the way we are brought up and where we have lived through out our lives. Everybody might not have the same morals but we all have a clear perception towards what is and isn’t acceptable in the public eye.

The basis of morality has been major area of discussion for philosophers for many years. In The Leviathan, Hobbes argues that desire and aversion determine what is good, evil, right or wrong, believing in a subjective self-interest based view on morality. In The Grounding of Metaphysics of Morals, Kant takes a rational approach, arguing that it is reason that plays a role in determining the same, thus having an objective view on morality. In my opinion, Hobbes’ account has greater validity than Kant’s in the fact that I believe it is human passion that dictates morality.

I would argue that the definition of morality can vary depending on who is being asked, as well as certain situations. Susan Wolf argues that to be a moral saint is to have an undesirable lifestyle because the happiness of a moral saint lies only in the happiness of others. She states that “A person may be perfectly wonderful without being perfectly moral,” (citation). With this statement, Wolf attempts to address the misunderstanding that many people have about different cultures. However, Wolf fails to see how the definition of what is morally correct and what is immoral may vary from culture to culture.

As we grow and mature that sense of right and can be distorted by the culture that is around us if we decide to allow these beliefs to remain up to personal interpretation alone. We are born with an understanding of right and wrong whether we want to believe that or not. This is not something that we cannot say derives from our mind because it is something that extends outside of our physical components. The concept is that it originates from somewhere we cannot understand physically. This understanding of right and wrong comes from the conscience which we will never understand in the physical sense because it is not a member of our being in the physical

Referring to morality from an individual point of view, each person has strong beliefs about what is wrong and what is right. Moreover, morals differ from person to person and may be due to difference in culture. Morality also results from basic human emotions i.e. love, hate, honesty, greed, sins etc (Psychology Today).

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

The question of how we determine what is right and what is wrong has been one that has plagued humankind for centuries. Although many have tried to answer this question we have yet to find a definite answer. Adam Smith is convinced that morals are grounded in sympathy and experience. Immanuel Kant, however, is certain that morals should not be derived from experience but from pure reason. I for one believe that neither of these men are entirely correct. Both of their theories on morality are flawed in that one does not account for the human experience and the other takes the human experience too much into account.

Everyday we are tested as individuals to make the right choice. How we view ourselves as individuals and how others view us are directly correlated to our moral decision-making. But morals are somewhat misleading. What might be a wrong decision for one person might be a solution to another. So how do we define morals? Do we follow Gods’ moral rules because to do so would increase out likelihood of obtaining salvation in the afterlife? Or is it simpler than that. Is God going to deny our entrance into heaven because we have run a stop sign here and there? No. I believe our moral values are much simpler than that. I believe that our moral decision-making comes from our upbringing of what is right or wrong. Our parents and

When we say or do something we usually encounter a question of whether or not the thing we did was the right thing to do or the wrong thing. When we take a look at how we decide if it was the correct or wrong action we take a lot into perspective. Our judgment of how we classify them is not the same for everyone, but what makes them different? How do we decide if the things we do are right or wrong? There can be a lot of different variables that we can take into effect on our judgment. Perhaps its how we were taught in our preadolescent age or as we are babies. It could be the way we were raised that can have an effect on our judgment, but there are more aspects that can alter our classification of right and wrong. Could the culture we have been raised in have an effect on what we think. The people around us who have similar perspectives that we share. Religion could have an impact on how we think and how we treat others but could it create a situation that alters what we think is right and wrong? There are many aspects that could change what we see as right and wrong that maybe its our morals and ethics that we pick up on our own. Whatever it can be that alters our judgment it is universal that not every action that is done will be accepted by everyone but what makes this interesting is how we get to that conclusion of what you do is seen as right or wrong.