What is morality - definition and golden rule

Updated July 24, 2021 571 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. How often do we hear “This is immoral!” or “He has low morale.” What do these words mean? What is morality, why look for it in others and cultivate it in yourself?

Something about morality, spirituality and maybe even religiosity comes to mind. They introduce themselves, if not saints, then very good people - kind and wise.

General definition

The definition of morality appeared in our language in 1789 in the dictionary of the Russian Academy.

Essentially, it is a set of attitudes, values, internal norms and rules that determine a person’s behavior in a given situation.

These values ​​are based on the ideas of justice, honor, dignity, compassion, kindness, honesty, peacefulness and other “good” categories.

A person absorbs all these concepts from childhood along with his mother’s milk, that is, he acquires them in the family circle, then among friends, teachers and other significant adults. In other words, it acquires in the process of socialization.

Morality is something that is instilled in a person through education.

In this regard, its level may differ for different individuals depending on what kind of people raised them. An evil mother is unlikely to teach a child to be sacrificial and patient with others, and an honest one is unlikely to teach her to steal.

Morality and ethics in philosophy (ethics)

In everyday life, the terms morality and ethics are used as synonyms, although in the philosophical paradigm (what is it?) they are completely different.

The first means the internal beliefs of a person - his own rules of behavior, formed in the process of growing up and becoming a person. The second concept is external norms that society requires us to observe.

But this is not the only interpretation. In philosophy, the following definition of the difference between morality and morality is also found. First, let me remind you that both of these terms are the subject of study of the science of ethics - the basis on which its principles are built. Thus, ethics is the science of moral and ethical values ​​of a person.

Morality is what ought to be (theory). This is what people plunge into when studying ethics. But we are all different, and reading the same book we can draw different conclusions. It is precisely morality that actually determines how well morality has formed in a person. In essence, these are the implementation of theory (morality) in practice.

​List of human qualities

The system of qualities of each individual consists of a combination of moral and moral rules.

Moral principles consist of:

• love for neighbors;
• respect for society;
• devotion (loyalty);
• selfless beginning (sincere motive to perform actions without personal gain);
• spirituality (a combination of moral and religious principles).

Moral principles consist of:

• sense of duty;
• responsibility;
• honor;
• conscience;
• striving for justice;
• dignity.

But not all qualities are positive. There are also negative ones among them, for example: hatred, envy, lies, etc.

When the moral level of society is low, then gradually negative actions become the norm . This is especially dangerous for the new generation, which “absorbs” the behavior of others.

Concepts are changing rapidly. This is noticeable in the generational difference between fathers and children.

Positive moral qualities become dogma at the level of large communities. Compliance with these rules gives a person a guarantee that this community will consider him moral and well-mannered.

The following qualities are most often highly valued:

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• responsibility;
• humanity;
• openness;
• sincerity;
• discipline;
• loyalty;
• collectivism;
• tact;
• hard work;
• zeal;
• cleanliness.

High moral qualities are those that in a certain society are in the positive range in the hierarchy of values.

Some people are considered highly moral for their sincerity and depth of feeling, and not at all for following social principles. Those with a patriotic spirit, chastity, and absolute humanism are also revered.

Rules of morality

What do you need to do and what do you need to be like to be told that you are a moral person? It's actually simple:

1. address others with respect and by name;
2. smile kindly at your interlocutor;
3. be careful;
4. respect others;
5. be honest.

The most important thing that must be present in all these points is a sincere desire to behave in this way, to be like this not only outside, but also inside, that is, it must be in character.

Golden Rule

In addition to these qualities, there is a golden rule of morality, presented in the form of a wise parable, which says that once on the banks of a large river a dialogue between a wise teacher and his follower took place. A student asked a question:

“Teacher, you know so much about goodness and peace, justice and spiritual purity. You say that people should be honest, work hard and not be lazy, eradicate passions and vices, respect others, take care of their bodies, and much more. Can you put it all together and call it just one word?”

The teacher thought about it, was silent for a long time, and then smiled and said: “This word is reciprocity. And it means the following: do to others as you want them to do to you .”

This rule was called the golden rule; it formed the basis of the concept of morality. It can also be expressed in other words: do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself.

Morality is a person's determination of his own values ​​and respect for the same values ​​that belong to other people.

Arguments against the thesis “what is legal is moral”

1. Although law is directly concerned with regulating moral relations (trust, love, equality, dignity, freedom, power, responsibility, status, etc.), it cannot be considered as a reflection and embodiment of the moral standards of society.
A law-abiding person is by no means necessarily highly moral and virtuous, and the legal establishment of any order does not justify it from a moral point of view. A person found legally guilty is not necessarily morally guilty. Whether or not he is found morally guilty depends on the moral acceptance or legitimacy of the laws under which the person is being tried.

2. Not all laws are morally justified. If we follow the thesis “what is legal is moral,” then it will be difficult for us from a moral point of view to prove the need for either the adoption of a new law or the repeal of an old one. Our actions in this case may be regarded as illegal and subject to punishment.

The arbitrariness of state power during the Second World War gave rise to a natural desire of peoples to create a set of rules that would limit this arbitrariness and serve as a moral justification for the actions of fighters against it.

The international community has developed and adopted documents whose purpose is to protect the individual, protect human dignity from undeserved humiliation, guarantee individual rights and, if possible, prevent violence against the individual. These are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, etc.

3. Not everything that is immoral can be declared illegal. If, for example, it is generally accepted that lying is immoral, this does not mean that it is necessary to pass a law prohibiting all lying. Such a law would be impossible to implement.

Proverbs about morality

Proverbs are worldly wisdom. For example, a phrase I read in a hairdresser when I was probably six years old became defining for me. It read:

“Nothing comes so cheaply and is valued so dearly as politeness.”.

Even as a child, I was stunned by its genius, and what’s remarkable is that it contains real truth that helps me establish contacts with people. How easy it is to be polite and how much it can give. Extra thanks please. Don’t say them, and the attitude towards you will be different.

Regarding the topic of morality, these proverbs and expressions are well suited:

And here's some more folk wisdom:

As you sow, so shall you reap. Take care of your clothes again, and honor from a young age. For a good greeting, a kind answer. As we are to people, so are people to us. Expect good for good, bad for bad. When doing evil, do not hope for good. Whoever follows evil will not find good. Sowing good means reaping good. Virtue is rewarded. As you go to bed, so will you sleep. As it comes back, so will it respond

Notice how often and differently the golden rule of morality described above is played out in proverbs. Our people are amazingly smart after all. Wise!

Education of morality

The cultivation of moral qualities in an individual (what is this?), their cultivation, of course, should first of all be dealt with by the family in which the child is growing up. Moms and dads, grandparents, from a very early age, should instill in their children the concepts of good and evil, good and bad deeds.

I think there are many different ways, but the main ones are :

1. personal example - a child copies the behavior of his parents, introduces it into his life strategy, so it is worth doing more kind, good deeds. Even if an adult says that fighting is bad, but he fights himself, the offspring will not hear the words (or he will experience cognitive dissonance), but will imitate actions;
2. Reading good fairy tales, parables and proverbs about morality to your child. Stories form imaginative thinking, corresponding emotions and feelings, which become the basis of the inner world.

A person who grew up in such conditions cannot be immoral. It is enough for adults to pay attention to this issue during childhood and school years - then this worldview becomes “ingrained” into the psyche, automatic. Changing it is difficult and sometimes unrealistic.

Arguments for the thesis “what is legal is moral”

1. Only laws can effectively stop immoral activities.
Many laws prohibit immoral activities (immoral means mainly socially dangerous activities harmful to society). Some acts, such as murder, theft, and violation of confidentiality, are so dangerous to society that their moral condemnation is reinforced by penalties established by law. The state necessarily relies on the thesis “what is legal is moral”, making adjustments to its moral position and thus modeling its behavior in order to ensure trust and moral acceptance on the part of the community both of itself and of the laws issued. 2. Consolidation of ethical rules in legislation. Virtually all legal norms are a reflection of the ethical views that legislators shared or preached. Russian laws contain norms with a clearly defined ethical orientation. They establish the principles of legal regulation, which determine the criteria for the ethicality of law or the “spirit” of the law; in accordance with them, its “letter” should be understood and interpreted. Thus, the texts of laws include and legislate the possibility and permission for moral evaluation and moral control of these laws by the community, individual citizens and the state.

3. Threat to the security of the country. The thesis “what is legal is moral” is the basic principle of public administration in situations of threat to the security of the country, state security. In such situations, preference is usually given to national interests. Sometimes this happens at the expense of infringement of the personal rights and freedoms of citizens. For some states, at certain periods of time, it is beneficial to maintain a state of threat to the country's security in order to be able, based on certain interpretations of laws (law), to control public order and determine the will of the people (morality).

4. Arbitrariness of corporations. In a number of cases, there is an urgent need to strengthen the protection of the individual, rights and freedoms of citizens (morality) through justice (law). Currently, this need increasingly arises in connection with the arbitrariness of corporations, which can be expressed in the exploitation of people, in discrimination based on gender, nationality, race, social status, etc., in forcing employees to commit unethical acts for the benefit of corporations (for example , hide the unseemly activities of the corporation, the production of dangerous products, corruption, etc.).

Narrow corporate (selfish) interests are also inherent in various government bodies. Using their power, these social structures can, in their claims to a share of the social product (corporate morality), use their own power (law), and this sometimes leads to the fact that certain areas of activity of the public administration apparatus fall completely out of the control of general civil justice (right). Therefore, the binding of government institutions by law (law) is the most effective guarantee against abuse of power (corporate morality).

5. Clash of different “morals”. Sometimes only with the help of law enforcement agencies (law) can one prevent the “revelry” of the public, driven by feelings of moral or religious indignation (morality).

Based on the above arguments, we can draw the following conclusion: not everything is moral that is legal, and not everything is immoral that is illegal.