Some people believe that morality is now out of date, that morality is a system of old culture and outdated values prohibiting a life time of fun. Moral argument has been limited to certain issues like promiscuity, homo sexuality, pornography and similar topics. Whereas, these are included in moral arguments, it is not limited to it. In fact, these topics are one third of topics reflected in the ethical world; the general ways of life like reckless indifference to the natural environment of our planet is one major side topics we have in the ethical world. I would like us to know that ethics or moral argument/reflection is not prohibited to sexual talks and criticism alone. The discussion on sex does not raise a unique moral issue but rather, the decisions around it like the consideration of honesty, concern for others, selflessness and so on actually do.

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Building on ethical discussion is to guide our practical living that is applicable to the real world. I realised that most people believe that ethics is a system of short simple rules like “do not steal”, “do not commit adultery”, “do not lie’. One thing we all should know is that these rules, as simple as they look aren’t so simple. In fact, in unusual situations, simple rules conflict and even if they do not, it might lead to a complete disaster. A case study is a war between two religious schools of thought, let’s say monotheists against polytheists and there is a mass volume of killings, like we had during the Jerusalem war with Rome in the time of christian persecution. If as a monotheist, whose faith condemns lying, you hide a polytheist friend in your home to protect her from being killed by your fellow believers, and you were asked during a search if you have seen any polytheist or have one lurking around somewhere, it would be right surely to deny that you have a polytheist around you as your friend haven’t done anything wrong other than having faith in a particular religion or religious school of thought. So as a moral being or reflector, would you say that action is morally wrong?

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Answering the above question would be hard because we all have different point of views to moral judgments; thus, I want us to respect the views of one another especially in the ethical world. There are several approaches to ethical judgments; two major ones are deontology and consequentialism. While the former believe that ethics is a system of rules and defend their position by finding more complicated rules that do not contradict and conflict with each other, the latter is more focused on goals i.e., they assess actions by the extent to which they further these goals. In simple words, they analyse more on the consequences rather than the actions, under this approach is utilitarianism.

A lot of people make the mistake of tagging ethics with religion__ people need to understand that ethics is not an intelligible topic only in the context of religion. In fact, ethics is independent of religion. Well, some theist would argue otherwise with a logical point that ethics can’t do without religion because only God approves on what is good and bad. This is where we see questions like “are actions good because God approves them as good or is it because the actions are good in themselves that God approves them?” But we have a lot of people who are do not believe in God or religion and they are moral in every way you can think of. (This discussion is for another day). Also, we have people who believe that we have to be virtuous according to the religious laws to be rewarded in eternity of bliss while the non virtuous would be condemned in hell forever. Immanuel Kant would scorn this belief as acting in self interest to attain a reward which shouldn’t be and to a very large extent, I do agree with him! I mean we all should obey the moral law for its own sake instead of obeying in because there is something to gain from it. That feels hypocritical as if these rewards or condemnations aren’t there, you’d behave in the non moral way. Now what is the moral law? A moral law in a particular place isn’t the same in another place so how in heavens do we know the moral law if religion does not decide it for us which when it does, it compels obedience through the enticing rewards of the afterlife? And again we do have a lot of religions with different beliefs and laws. Thus, the question is moral law universal or particular to one’s religion and culture brightens into our minds.

These questions and issues are what we need to deliberate on as they occur in our general lives and day to day activities. Without a sound mind in ethics and logic, ones point of view would be clouded with fallacies and irrational arguments leading to poor moral choices which condemn humanity. Thus as I conclude, I would advise that we should be vast in ethical issues and discussions so our minds can be broadened to rational and good choices that would sharpen the human race to good ways of life.