What does it mean to have moral
obligations? An unethical society would likely mock or ridicule the suggestion
of morals, morality or moral obligations. Thus, it may appear that in an
unethical society there are no moral obligations, but that is not entirely
true.
Dictionary.com suggests, “Morals are pertaining to, or concerned with
the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and
wrong; ethical: moral attitudes.”
What are ethics?
Dictionary.com suggests ethics refers to “a system of
moral principles: the ethics of a culture” or “the rules of conduct recognized
in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group,
culture, etc.”
Ethical codes of conduct are
guidelines or rules that govern a society based upon its degree of moral
standards. To clarify this further, what does it mean to have an unethical
society? When there is no observation of moral codes, a society becomes
unethical in its conduct.
Unwritten ethical codes and ethical
conduct are part of every society, even in what appears to be unethical
societies. If that were not so, human beings could not or would not survive.
There are many unwritten moral standards, as well as ethical principles,
standards and rules in every society.
Moral codes lay the foundation
for ethical conduct that ensures the continuance of life. Adhering to these
codes and kind of conduct is something carried out knowingly or unknowingly by
those in every society, including unethical societies. One example is that of
parents feeding their children. Every society, even an unethical one, seeks to
feed its children.
Consider some other examples.
Look at the word, love. If
there were no love, there would be no spousal or familial, inter-personal
relationships. Procreation would be less likely other than in terms of
violence. Even in what appears to be an unethical society, love exists in a
diversity, complexity and multiplicity of expression. For example, husbands
love their wives and protect them. Mothers love their children and nurture
them. Siblings love each other and look out for one another. Unfortunately,
that is not true in every case.
As unethical as some societies
may appear in remote parts of the world, there are societal, moral obligations.
Parents have the moral obligation to protect their families from nature’s wrath
or wild animals. How they choose to do that may not bear the label of moral.
These kinds of moral ties and relationships exist whether comprehended as
morals, or not.
Taking it further, even in what
appears to be an unethical society without morals as the civilized world
understands them, there can be a concept of the divine, comprehended in terms of
some sort of legalism or law. For example, animism triggers the worship of the divine
in rocks. This kind of worship becomes the foundation of the moral acts and
sacrificial rituals that unethical societies adhere to, knowingly or
unknowingly. Naturism encourages the worship of nature and natural law takes
precedence in terms of ethical foundations. Certain animals like cows may be
worshiped, as well as protected. Punishment is inevitable when the trust is
broken.
Modern day warfare demands
moral aspects, even in unethical societies. For example, men and women who are
engaged in battle protect each other and their communities. Unwritten moral
rules of war may lead to the protection of women and children, rather than
slaughtering them en masse.
Even in modern day, supposed
civilized societies, there are violations of moral and ethical codes, including
bullying and abuse that takes many different forms, causing those who
understand moral codes and ethical conduct to wonder whether civilization is
unethical to some extent, in every age.
Note that there are higher
morals and ethical codes not evident in unethical societies, but every
unethical society has some degree of morals, as well as ethical codes.
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