As you know, the foundations of morality were laid back in ancient society. At that time, she acted as a regulator of the behavior of people in a team, in everyday life, in work. Morality was the support and support of all social foundations of life, reflected the totality of various rules and norms of behavior of people in a group. Originally, the rules of morality were the same for all, without exception, regardless of rank and class. These canons reflect all the spiritual needs of people and living conditions.
Modern dictionaries say that morality is a system of requirements, norms and rules of human behavior that have developed in the course of history. Following these guidelines is strictly voluntary. Morality draws the line between virtue and evil, between conscience and dishonor, between mercy and cruelty.
As our contemporary Francis Fukuyama says , morality is our social capital, which determines the degree of social vitality. It is close in importance to collective intuition, aimed at resolving and reducing social conflicts.
If we return to the origins of the definition, then, for example, Kant believed that each of us has our own internal law of morality, but it has been repeatedly proved that the great philosopher in his theory was seriously mistaken. Moral principles are brought up in a child in childhood, in the process of development and learning.
Philosophy and Morality
The fact that the connection of philosophy and morality is inextricable is undeniable. Traditions were laid down by Socrates, it was he who convinced everyone that people commit evil out of ignorance, and not of their own free will, for you cannot commit atrocities, knowing virtue. The problems of evil and good in the world are relevant now, as they were thousands of years ago. Understanding that morality is the foundation of the foundations of human existence, Pythagoras, Plato, and other thinkers of antiquity set forth in their writings.
Turning to contemporaries, one can not help but mention Huseynov, who philosophizes that morality has now undergone serious changes in comparison with traditional. If earlier civilization was criticized by morality, now everything is fundamentally the opposite. Indeed, in the minds of people the basic principles of morality have changed, and now everyone has their own philosophy. Morality is that which has no purely individual motives. That for one is alien and immoral, for another it is the norm of life.
The influence of religion and morality
Morality and religion are closely related spheres of culture. Their similarity is noticeable in spiritual manifestations, but the influence of the church on public morality is incomparably greater than the influence of moral standards. Faith determines not only the relationship between deity and man, but interpersonal relations in society. God represents the moral requirements that must be followed. As Frankl said: "God is a personalized conscience." The moral principle is already in the idea of God, it is inseparable from religion.
The world of morality is like a temple in which moral shrines are revered. They have a human character (for example, fidelity of spouses, mother's love, respect for the elderly).
Religion had a great influence on the moral principles of various peoples. In monotheistic religions, the boundaries of morality, good and evil are much tougher than in those religions where people profess polytheism.
With the development of morality and its basic principles, often religious canons were subjected to condemnation and disappointing assessments by society and the clergy. For example, injustice and excessive cruelty to representatives of another faith, atheists are considered immoral.
But just as religion can exist without moral principles, and vice versa, therefore religion and morality are those spiritual spheres that interact indirectly with each other.