The difference between law and morality. Moral principles

Morality is very often mistakenly identified with morality. But these two concepts, if you look at them, carry opposite meanings. And although in some dictionaries morality is still interpreted as a synonym for morality, let’s try to figure out why this should not be done.

What is morality and ethics

Morality- a system of norms and values adopted in a given particular society, designed to regulate relationships between people.
Moral– strict observance by a person of his internal principles, which are of a general, universal nature.

Comparison of morality and ethics

What is the difference between morality and ethics?
Morals and ethics are fundamental philosophical categories, which are under the jurisdiction of the science of ethics. But the meaning they carry is different. The essence of morality is that it prescribes or prohibits specific human actions or behavior. Morality is formed by society, and therefore it always meets the interests of a certain group (national, religious, etc.). Think about it, even crime clans have their own morals! At the same time, they are necessarily opposed by another part of society - with its own foundations and norms, and from this it follows that there can be a great many moralities at one time. Typically, morality is fixed in a law (code), which establishes certain standards of behavior. Every human act according to this law is assessed by society either negatively or positively. It is interesting that in the same society, morality can change beyond recognition over time (as, for example, happened in Russia in the 20th century), dictating directly opposite principles of behavior.
Morality is unchanged in content and extremely simple in form. It is absolute and expresses the interests of man (and humanity) as a whole. One of the main moral guidelines is the attitude towards another as oneself, and love for one’s neighbor, which means that morality initially does not accept violence, contempt, humiliation, or infringement of someone’s rights. The most moral person acts is the one who commits moral actions without even thinking about it. He simply cannot behave differently. Morality is aimed primarily at self-affirmation, and morality is aimed at selfless interest in another person. Morality is closest to the ideal, to the universe.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between morality and morality is as follows:

Morality is related to the spiritual, and morality is related to the social sphere.
Morality is characterized by constancy, but morality is extremely changeable.
Morality is the same for everyone, and there are a great many moral principles.
Moral principles are absolute, and moral principles are conditional (depending on place and time).
Morality strives to correspond to a certain model (usually written down somewhere), morality is based on “internal law.”

Perhaps every person asks a question at a certain stage in life. The concept has several meanings, but in general, ethics refers to the correct attitude of an individual towards his own life path, to other people and living beings, to God.

These are specific norms of behavior, intangible values accepted in any society. By the way, in each individual society these values and norms are purely individual. If among some peoples a handshake at a meeting is a sign of good manners and a friendly attitude towards the interlocutor, then others may take such a personal touch as an insult.

Norms, even in one particular society, can vary significantly over different periods of time. In essence, morality is always and everywhere the same, but in its specific content it may have variations. For example, such canons as “be truthful and kind to each other” or “do not do harm to others” remain unchanged for everyone and always. Take, for example, those familiar to everyone biblical commandments- Why not a variant of ethical postulates? Here is a reverse example: if just a few centuries ago shorts on a woman were considered the height of indecency, then modern ethics are very loyal in this matter.

Ethical values also differ depending on certain social groups. Any ethics dictionary will tell you that the norms of behavior between close friends or relatives are significantly different from those accepted between work colleagues or strangers.

Often in our minds the concept of “ethics” is confused with the concept of “morality”. But in reality they are fundamentally different. Simply put, morality can be defined as a clear idea of what “good” and “bad” are. These manifestations can be different even within the same national group in different eras, let alone on different continents. The principles of ethics are objective; they constitute an understanding of everything. human way. What is a rod spiritual development each of us. Skills, character traits, abilities and other aspects are attached to it inner world person.

When talking about what ethics is, one cannot fail to mention the religious aspect. In accordance with the main commandment Old Testament, the main thing is man’s love for God. In relation to all living beings without exception, compassion plays the main role in ethics. It means care and respect for people, animals and plants.

You can also talk about ethics as one of the areas of philosophy, the subject of which is the study of the customs and values of a certain human group. Within its framework, several sections are considered separately. Among them are metaethics as the study of all concepts of science, normative ethics - ways of defining norms and rules, their study and interpretation, and applied ethics - the use of the above-mentioned norms in practice.

Of course, the subject of this article is broad and controversial. But now you can answer the question of what ethics is.

Moral - These are generally accepted ideas about good and evil, right and wrong, bad and good . According to these ideas, there arise moral standards human behavior. A synonym for morality is morality. A separate science deals with the study of morality - ethics.

Morality has its own characteristics.

Signs of morality:

The universality of moral norms (that is, they affect everyone equally, regardless of social status).
Voluntariness (no one is forced to comply with moral standards, since this is done by such moral principles as conscience, public opinion, karma and other personal beliefs).
Comprehensiveness (that is, moral rules apply in all areas of activity - in politics, in creativity, in business, etc.).

Functions of morality.

Philosophers identify five functions of morality:

Evaluation function divides actions into good and bad on a good/evil scale.
Regulatory function develops rules and moral standards.
Educational function is engaged in the formation of a system of moral values.
Control function monitors compliance with rules and regulations.
Integrating function maintains a state of harmony within the person himself when performing certain actions.

For social science, the first three functions are key, since they play the main social role of morality.

Moral standards.

Moral standards Much has been written throughout the history of mankind, but the main ones appear in most religions and teachings.

Prudence. This is the ability to be guided by reason, and not by impulse, that is, to think before doing.
Abstinence. It concerns not only marital relations, but also food, entertainment and other pleasures. Since ancient times, the abundance of material values has been considered an obstacle to the development of spiritual values. Our Lent- one of the manifestations of this moral norm.
Justice. The principle “don’t dig a hole for someone else, you’ll fall into it yourself,” which is aimed at developing respect for other people.
Persistence. The ability to endure failures (as they say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger).
Hard work. Labor has always been encouraged in society, so this norm is natural.
Humility. Humility is the ability to stop in time. It is a cousin of prudence, with an emphasis on self-development and introspection.
Politeness. Polite people have always been valued, since a bad peace, as you know, is better than a good quarrel; and politeness is the basis of diplomacy.

Principles of morality.

Moral principles- These are moral norms of a more private or specific nature. The principles of morality at different times in different communities were different, and the understanding of good and evil was accordingly different.

For example, the principle of “an eye for an eye” (or the principle of talion) in modern morality far from being held in high esteem. And here " golden rule of morality"(or Aristotle's principle of the golden mean) has not changed at all and still remains a moral guide: do to people as you want to be done to you (in the Bible: “love your neighbor”).

Of all the principles that guide the modern teaching of morality, one main one can be deduced - principle of humanism. It is humanity, compassion, and understanding that can characterize all the other principles and moral norms.

Morality affects all types of human activity and, from the point of view of good and evil, gives an understanding of what principles to follow in politics, in business, in society, in creativity, etc.

For some reason, modern man is rarely guided in his actions common sense. All decisions are made solely on emotions, which can create the impression of a person’s bad manners or disrespect for others. In fact, not many people understand such concepts as morality and morality, considering them to be outdated norms that do not bring benefit to a person in modern life. In this article we want to talk exactly about this topic.

If you consider yourself to be one of the civilized people who in life are not guided only by animal instincts and biological needs, then you can be called a moral person with a sense of high morality.

However, morality and ethics are in a sense the same categories - they have the same meaning, but there are also differences that need to be clearly understood. What is meant:

Morality is more broad concept, which covers a person’s moral views. This includes the feelings and principles of a person, and his position in life, justice, mercy and other qualities that determine whether he is evil or good.
In addition, morality is considered an objective unit in philosophy, because it cannot be changed, it is completely built on the laws of nature. If a person adheres to it throughout his life, then he grows spiritually, develops, and gets a sea of positive energy from the Universe, otherwise he simply degrades.
Morality helps a person to be peaceful, to avoid conflict situations, and not to create them intentionally, which is often done by people for whom the concept of morality is alien.
Morality is something that should be instilled in a person from the early years of his life. However, it is worth noting here that every family has a different understanding of morality. Therefore, people are not the same. Many may be kind and sympathetic, but everyone will still have different life principles and orientations.

What is morality? If we consider this issue from the point of view of Hegel, who argued that morality is the sphere of the ideal, the proper, then morality in this case means reality. In practice, the relationship between morality and morality is reflected as follows: people often take many things for granted, but they are guided in their actions exclusively by what exists - by what has been instilled in them since childhood (morality).

Based on this, it follows that morality is:

the inner beliefs of every person that guide him in life;
rules of behavior instilled in a person by parents since childhood;
these are value judgments of a person, with the help of which he can build relationships with other people in society;
is a person's ability to change their ideal performances about life under the influence of the non-ideal reality of the surrounding world;
a category that determines how capable a person is of coping with life’s difficulties and other circumstances that happen to him in life.

It turns out that morality is inherent only in everything human and social. Nothing living in this world no longer has moral qualities, but every group of inhabitants of our planet definitely has morals.

If you carefully analyze the above rules of morality and ethics, the following simple and understandable conclusions will arise:

Morality reflects how spiritually developed a person is, and morality is the category that a person most often guides in solving social issues.
Morality instilled in a person from an early age never changes, but morality can change under the influence of society and life circumstances.
Morality is a common category for everyone, having only one meaning, but everyone can have their own morality, and it depends on moral education personality.
Morality is an absolute category, and morality is relative, because it can change throughout a person’s life.
Morality is an internal state that a person simply cannot change, but morality is a person’s desire or predisposition to constantly conform to some model.

The doctrine of morality and morality is a complex area in philosophy. There are a number of scientists who are convinced that morality and morality are synonymous, because they have one source, they are studied by one science - ethics. Morality and ethics are similar in that their origins come from the Bible. These are the concepts that are preached by our Orthodox faith, this is what Jesus taught all his disciples. We, of course, due to our busy lives and our burden of personal problems, always forget that our whole life is built on golden rules developed not by scientists, but by religion.

If we turned to its canons more often, we would perhaps suffer less spiritually, we certainly would not have problems that cause us discomfort and inconvenience in life. It turns out that in order to change your life for the better, it is enough to simply follow the norms of morality and morality, not just from time to time, but always.

The problem of morality and ethics in modern society

Unfortunately, you and I happen to live in a world in which there has long been a decline in morality and ethics, because modern people are increasingly disconnecting their lives from God's commandments and laws. This all started:

evolutionists in 1920, who began to argue that a person should manage his life himself, that some invented laws and principles should not be imposed on him;
world wars, which simply devalue human life, because people suffered, suffered, and all this only gives rise to evil and the decline of moral principles;

the Soviet era, which destroyed all religious values - people began to revere the commandments of Marx and Lenin, but the truths of Jesus were forgotten, because faith was prohibited, morality was determined only by censorship, which was quite strict in the Soviet era;
at the end of the twentieth century, because of all this, even censorship disappeared - films began to show explicit sex scenes, murders and bloodshed, what can we say if pornographic pictures began to appear in wide access for everyone (although this happened to a greater extent under the influence of Western culture );
pharmacologists began to market contraceptives, which allowed people to be promiscuous sex life, without fear that children may be born;
Families have stopped striving to have children, because for each spouse, career and personal ambitions are of primary importance;
receiving a diploma, a red medal or a certificate of merit is the aspiration of losers who will achieve nothing in life if they do not use arrogance, rudeness and other qualities that can help them carve out a place in the sun in the modern cruel world.

In general, everything that was previously strictly prohibited has become permitted. Because of this, we and our children live in a world of bad morals. It is difficult for us to understand the morality of our grandparents, because they grew up in a different era, when traditions, rules, and culture were still respected and valued. Modern man is generally not aware of the role of morality and morality in people's lives. How else can we explain what is happening today in the world of politics, culture and science.

Nobody today, except scientists engaged in the professional study of philosophy, thinks about the origin of morality and morality and their future. After all, the democracy in which we live has completely freed our hands and our tongues. We can say and do whatever we want, and it’s unlikely that anyone will punish us for it, even if our activities openly violate someone else’s rights.

You don’t have to go far, it’s enough to analyze your own professional ethics and ethics - will you move up the career ladder with honest and hard work, spending your time and best years so that your children have a carefree future, or will you use a dubious and vile scheme that will help you quickly take a high position? Most likely, you will choose the second, and this is not because you are a bad person, because you cannot say that about someone who cares about the future of the family, but because life experience has taught you so.

We hope that deep down, each of us is still an individual for whom such concepts in life as goodness, love, respect and honor are important. We wish you that your soul is pure, open, that your thoughts are kind, that love lives in your heart. Fill your life with morals and ethics to feel like a harmonious person.

Video: “Morality, morality”

Definition

Morality- a system of norms and values adopted in a given particular society, designed to regulate relationships between people.

Moral– strict observance by a person of his internal principles, which are of a general, universal nature.

Comparison

Morality and morality are fundamental philosophical categories that are under the jurisdiction of the science of ethics. But the meaning they carry is different. The essence of morality is that it prescribes or prohibits specific human actions or behavior. Morality is formed by society, and therefore it always meets the interests of a certain group (national, religious, etc.). Think about it, even crime clans have their own morals! At the same time, they are necessarily opposed by another part of society - with its own foundations and norms, and from this it follows that there can be a great many moralities at one time. Typically, morality is fixed in a law (code), which establishes certain standards of behavior. Every human act according to this law is assessed by society either negatively or positively. It is interesting that in the same society, morality can change beyond recognition over time (as, for example, happened in Russia in the 20th century), dictating directly opposite principles of behavior.

Morality is unchanged in content and extremely simple in form. It is absolute and expresses the interests of man (and humanity) as a whole. One of the main moral guidelines is the attitude towards another as oneself, and love for one’s neighbor, which means that morality initially does not accept violence, contempt, humiliation, or infringement of someone’s rights. The most moral person acts is the one who commits moral actions without even thinking about it. He simply cannot behave differently. Morality is aimed primarily at self-affirmation, and morality is aimed at selfless interest in another person. Morality is closest to the ideal, to the universe.

Conclusions website

Morality is related to the spiritual, and morality is related to the social sphere.
Morality is characterized by constancy, but morality is extremely changeable.
Morality is the same for everyone, and there are a great many moral principles.
Moral principles are absolute, and moral principles are conditional (depending on place and time).
Morality strives to correspond to a certain model (usually written down somewhere), morality is based on “internal law.”