Chit Chat Philosophy

2 What does it mean for something to be immoral?

1 Something is immoral if it is objectively wrong.

2 And who is objectively defining morality?

1 I’d say morality is defined by society. We have a collective understanding of the boundaries people are willing to accept.

2 Ah but is it true that some laws are unique only to specific countries? Drugs for example: what is legal in one country might not be legal in another. Does that make drug use immoral?

1 It’s true that there are layers of morality defined by individuals, and then nations, and finally society.

2 How can there be multiple definitions?

1 Morality is just a construct we’ve built to try and cooperate in society. To quote a famous Disney movie: “the code is more like a guideline than actual rules.” It changes with time. In ancient days, many things were “moral” by their standards which are no longer moral today. And vice-versa.

2 So morality is not absolute?

1 For morality to be absolute there would have to be some intrinsic standard upon which all things are measured. I do not believe such a maxim exists. Morality is subjective.

2 Why do we consider morality at all?

1 It plays an important role by giving us a meter upon which to gauge the justness of an action. We can easily make snapshot judgements about something and how it fits in with society. People break these rules all the time, but having the mechanism to measure against is quite powerful.

2 Surely some actions – like the taking of a life – are intrinsically immoral. Would you agree?

1 I believe it to be immoral, personally, as does society at large. But is it intrinsically abominable? Even well-adjusted citizens would have trouble answering that honestly. Society itself kills frequently and people normalize that behavior. “It was for national security!” or whatever. Does that make it right? Of course not. But it is evidence to the elasticity of values that are prevalent in the lived world.

2 What would a purely moral city look like?

1 Fairly bland, I should think. The problem with morality is that it’s as varied as the people who dream it up. Take Socrates for example: he had some pretty wild ideas about what a “just” city would be like and – by the end of it – he had banned whole sub genres of music! I think the same thing would happen with morality.

2 Can morality be used to control people?

1 Absolutely. Nations do it, religions do it. Morality is a powerful motivator because it can be applied to large swaths of people. It goes hand-in-hand with guilt and that is a particularly poignant emotion for controlling the actions of others.

2 Does that make the concept of morality, itself, immoral?

1 No, we have to believe in something. Morality gives us a core set of beliefs that we can accept or reject when formulating our own worldview. People in power can wield morality as a weapon, but that does not mean believing in the rightness of something is intrinsically bad. Rational thought can still prevail and like I said earlier, morality is more like a guideline than an actual rule. We absorb the ideas presented and apply them in ways that help us navigate society. No more. No less.