Morality, a concept deeply ingrained in human society, has sparked debates and discussions for centuries. As we navigate through the intricate web of societal norms and values, the definition of morality remains elusive and subject to interpretation.
For example, some of you may think that me writing this article is wrong, while some might consider it useful or even right. That being said, can we as a society decide if something is good or not? Should each individual have their own standards of morality or should they let themselves be guided by what they have learned?
Some would describe morality as the set of moral beliefs and practices of a culture, community, or religion; a rigorous and unchanging code or system of moral rules, principles, or values that guide society to the greater good. Others would say it’s a human attempt at defining what is wrong and right in behavior and thought. But is there more to it than just that?
Take the classic example of slavery when back in time it was a normal thing for humans to exploit other individuals of a lower status such as people of colour. In this day and age, slavery is known as one of the greatest evils that happened in this world, but until a little while back in human history it was a common convention. Can we say that it was morally wrong for people 200 years ago, or even in ancient times, to own slaves, when most of them held belief systems and most cultures supported it, or at least deemed it acceptable, if not ideal? Does it make sense for us to judge slave owners and traders of the past as guilty of wrongdoing?
From a subjective view, we would say no. We can only judge people according to the times they lived. But this is not any better, because one can argue that a period of time does not make something right become wrong, and the other way around. However, even back then, some people thought slavery was bad, but how did they come to believe that? Was the minority view’s objections to slavery actually immoral, since they were contrary to the majority of society, and also most ideologies?
From an objective view, we would say yes, slavery had always been wrong no matter the time, and most people just did not know it. We as a species had to discover it, just like we needed time and evidence to find out how the solar system works.
To conclude, to have a ‘subjective’ view of morality does not entail thinking that ‘anything goes’, or that morality is entirely relative to culture, religion, or belief system. Here, as is the case with so many important issues, black-and-white explanations do not lead to understanding, nor to useful solutions to life’s most pressing problems. Just like the objective view, it does not necessarily mean that one must have a fixed way of seeing and interpreting specific things as it does not allow for evolution and moral progress.
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