Morality - what it is and why it is needed, norms and principles.

MORALITY (from Latin moralitas - tradition, folk custom, morality-character), the same as morality.
Live, i.e. In ordinary language, moral most often means good, good, right, and immoral means bad, evil, and wrong. As a concept of philosophy, i.e. in a stricter and narrower sense of the word, morality is the values ​​and norms (rules) that govern people’s behavior. The sphere of morality includes both good and evil, both fair and unjust. Therefore, from a philosophical point of view, moral is that which has to do with morality. The moral is opposed to the non-moral - which has nothing to do with morality. This means that to understand what morality is, it is important to at least know what good and evil, justice and injustice, virtue and vice consist of. Also on topic:

PHILOSOPHY

The first circle of consideration of morality is the sphere of values ​​(evaluations) and norms (rules). However, not all assessments and not all norms can be classified as morality. “The singer performed the aria beautifully” is an evaluative statement, an assessment; and the requirement: “Bus fare should be paid immediately, without waiting for the next stop” is a normative statement, a rule. But is this assessment and this rule moral? We may assume that the singer whose aria we listened to with pleasure is a wonderful person, but there is no indispensable connection here: a talented singer (or artist, or poet) may not be a model of virtue. Likewise, timely payment of fare on a bus without a conductor can be assessed as the fulfillment of a rule or obligation, according to which the transport company undertakes to transport the passenger, and the passenger – to pay for the fare. But discipline and commitment are also not manifestations of moral perfection.

Morality can be tentatively defined as a system of norms and values ​​that ultimately orient a person towards the benefit of other people. These norms and values ​​are human-centered, and they are structured to require not only virtuous and just actions, but also that these actions be done intentionally and as a result of a person's free and selfless decision.

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GOOD

Consider, for example, the rule “The weak should be helped.” Can one say, based on its content, that it is moral and that the person performing it is good? It is impossible to answer the question unambiguously. One helps the weak, believing that he is fulfilling God’s commandment, and everything commanded by God must be fulfilled, if only in order to be saved. Another helps the weak, seeing in this the fulfillment of the demands of a certain authority (person or group), who also has the power to reward guilt and merit; the third helps demonstratively, in the hope of approval from others; the fourth helps in the expectation that, if necessary, they will help him too; the fifth helps if the sun is shining and your soul is happy, i.e. according to mood; the sixth provides assistance because he sees in this an expression of humanity, courtesy, etc. So, we have before us the same rule and actions that are identical in their external manifestation. However, the difference in the motives for which an action is performed that outwardly meets a certain standard gives us in this case, instead of one, several different actions. From a philosophical point of view, an act in itself, “by nature,” is not moral. Morality is determined by context. True, in this case we can say that this rule is presented in a collapsed form; It presupposes that one should help the weak, precisely by showing concern for them, sacrificing one’s interests. But this is an addition that does not so much clarify the rule as point to another, more general one, which gives the fundamental principle of moral action in general.

What is human morality? The concept (definition) of morality in simple words - briefly.

Despite the rather simple essence of the term “morality”, there are a huge variety of its definitions. One way or another, almost all of them are correct, but perhaps the simplest answer to the question “What is morality?” there will be this statement:

Morality is a person's attempt to determine what is right and wrong regarding our actions and thoughts. What is good and bad for our existence.

If by and large everything is more or less clear with the term, then the very concept of what is moral and what is immoral causes a lot of controversy. The fact is that the concepts of evil and good are not always absolute and their assessment depends solely on the modern paradigm accepted in society.

For example, in the middle “dark” centuries, when society was poorly educated, but very religious, burning people suspected of witchcraft was a very highly moral act. It goes without saying that in the modern era of humanism, science and law, this is considered terrible stupidity and a crime, but no one has canceled historical facts. And there was slavery, holy wars, various kinds of genocides and other events that were perceived by certain parts of society as something normal. Thanks to such examples, we understood that morality and its norms are very conditional rules that can change to suit the social order.

Despite the above examples and the sad historical experience in assessing certain events, now we have, in a certain respect, a more or less adequate system of moral values.

Tatyana Larina

Examples of moral duty from literature can be continued by considering another work of Pushkin - the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”. Its main character continues the line of Masha Troekurova.

It should immediately be noted that this image is more carefully described: the girl has a solid, strong character that helps her overcome a difficult test.

Having married Prince Gremin, Tatyana remains faithful to him: although she is not in love with her husband, she deeply respects and appreciates him, therefore she rejects Onegin’s love confessions, despite the fact that she still has ardent feelings for him. From this point of view, Tatyana stands much higher than the main character of the novel. By her action she sets an example of moral duty, which gives the work deep moral meaning.

Functions of morality and why do people need morality?

Despite many philosophical and scientific theories, the answer to this question is very simple. People need morality for further successful coexistence and development as a species. It is precisely because there are general concepts about what is good and what is bad that our society has not yet been consumed by chaos. Thus, we can say that the function of morality is to form general rules of conduct or laws, which in turn maintain order in society.

As an example of a moral principle that is understandable to absolutely everyone, we can cite the so-called Golden Rule of Morality.

In the dictionary Dictionary of foreign words

and, f.

1. pl. No. Rules of morality, as well as morality itself. A man of high morals.||Cf. ETHICS" title='ETHICS, ETHICS is, what is ETHICS, ETHICS interpretation'>ETHICS.

2. A logical, instructive conclusion from something M. fable.||Cf. APOPHEGMA" title='APOPHEGMA, APOPHEGMA is, what is APOPHEGMA, APOPHEGMA interpretation'>APOPHEGMA (APOPHTEGMA" title='APOPHTEGMA, APOPHEGMA is, what is APOPHEGMA, APOPHEGMA interpretation'>APOPHTEGMA).

3. decomposition Moral teaching, instruction. Read m.||Wed. NOTATION, RACE.

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Norms and examples of morality.

A huge number of aspects can be attributed to the norms and examples of morality, some of them will be highly moral absolutely everywhere, and some will be controversial, taking into account the differences in cultural characteristics. Nevertheless, as an example, we will cite precisely those moral norms that are beyond doubt.

Moral standards in society:

• Honesty;
• Bravery;
• Ability to keep one's word;
• Reliability;
• Generosity;
• Restraint (self-control);
• Patience and humility;
• Mercy;
• Justice;
• Patience for differences (Tolerance);
• Self-respect and respect for other people.

In the dictionary D.N. Ushakova

MORAL, morality, plural. no, female (from Latin moralis - moral). 1. Moral teaching, a set of rules of morality and ethics (book). “It is necessary that the whole task of upbringing, educating and teaching modern youth should be the inculcation in them of communist morality.” Lenin. Bourgeois morality. Principles of morality. | Morality, behavior from the point of view of moral rules. A person of low morals. 2. A moral conclusion from something, a moral lesson. “The moral of the story is this.” Krylov. Hence the moral: no mercy to the enemy! Capital morality (see capital).

Morals and Ethics

The terms “Morals” and “Ethics” are closely related concepts, and are quite often used as synonyms, but this is not entirely true. In simple words, the fact is that morality is a more global concept that tells us what is right or wrong in general and in general, regardless of the specific situation. Ethics, in turn, are guidelines that help a person or group decide what is good or bad in a particular situation.

As a result, I would like to note that this topic is almost impossible to cover in one small article due to its volume, but we hope that the basic principles have become more clear to you.

How to relax mentally?

First of all, it is worth keeping in mind that mental stress is inseparable from physical stress. You have probably noticed that after conflict and difficult mental situations, muscles tense and different parts of the body hurt. The body is the seat of the soul, so moral relaxation includes physical relaxation.

The main way to relax and get rid of tensions at all levels is meditation. It allows you to stop wasting energy on trifles - constantly thinking about situations that cannot be solved immediately, as well as maintaining unnecessary tension.

Main categories

Morality always includes a number of categories, the concepts of which become fundamental in the life of a particular group of people:

• good;
• evil;
• justice;
• duty;
• dignity.

Rice. 2. Categories of morality

Good

Good is the main value that is identified with moral perfection. This is the key to integrity and harmony of both each individual and society.

Goodness is inherently creative.

Evil

Evil is everything that violates the harmony and integrity of society, as well as that which negatively changes the inner world of the individual and the surrounding order.

Duty

The definition of debt is one of the fundamental ones in the formation of society.

Important! Moral or ethical duty is a person’s choice between what he wants and what he must do.

For example, having given birth to a child, a person is obliged to take care of him until he reaches adulthood. But in fact, he does this much longer, considering it his duty.

Important! A person’s debt is regulated by conscience - this is a person’s personal awareness of his own duty. Whether he follows it or not is determined by a moral choice. This choice is often the most difficult in a person’s life, especially if the options are mutually exclusive.

Justice

Morality considers justice as proportionality in the distribution of benefits and burdens in the lives of members of society. It determines how perfect the way of conducting joint activities is.

Rice. 3. Categories of morality

Justice provides reward for good and punishment for evil.

Dignity

It is one of the highest moral categories, which determines how a person relates to himself, as well as the perception of others around him. A person’s awareness of his own dignity gives him the foundations of self-knowledge and control over his actions.

Dignity determines the level of responsibility of an individual for his actions to himself. It forces her to do things in the name of good and behave in accordance with the standards of her morality.

Dmitry Nekhlyudov and his attitude towards Katya Maslova

Examples of fulfilling moral duty are shown in the works of L.N. Tolstoy, who attached special importance to the moral development of his characters. The most striking example is the novel “Sunday”, the main character of which, feeling guilty before the girl whose life was broken because of him, tries with all his might to help her. The author describes his experiences in detail, especially focusing on the humanistic values ​​that the hero adheres to, despite his somewhat frivolous character.

The moral significance of heroes of military literature

Examples of moral duty from life, films, and literature are best considered in works dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, since their plots are based on real events, and the actions of the characters are determined by the values ​​that guided Soviet society at the time in question. A special feature of the description of the moral deeds of people is the amazing truthfulness of the narrative, since these difficult trials were written about by authors who themselves were participants in the war.

The best example in this case is the work “The Young Guard”, since it tells the story of young men and women who independently took up underground work. This was their conscious choice, since they understood their moral duty to their Motherland. Perhaps this is why Fadeev’s novel is one of the most popular books about the war.

general characteristics

The concept of morality is often identified with the concept of “morality”. They define a system of norms of behavior and communication, values, and value judgments of a person.

Throughout history, scholars have assessed morality as:

• A system of norms
  , values ​​and principles that are imposed on a person from birth.
• A separate sphere
  of individual personality development.

Morality includes the following components:

• principles;
• ideals;
• meaning of life;
• criteria of spirituality;
• moral qualities of a person.

Rice.
1. Components of morality Morality is characterized by two features:

Important! Moral consciousness becomes the basis on which the individual’s attitude towards himself and the world around him is formed. It builds a scale for assessing good and evil, beliefs, and other people.

The moral feat of the heroes of "The Captain's Daughter"

The most expressive example of the moral duty of the characters in Pushkin’s work can be seen in the example of the above story. Pyotr Grinev, following his father’s behest, protects his noble honor and even under the threat of execution refuses to recognize the impostor as the legitimate sovereign. He remains faithful to the oath and does not forget for a minute that he is a nobleman who has sworn allegiance to the empress.

This position evokes respect even from the robber Pugachev, who is amazed by the firmness of this young man, his steadfastness and not only saves the hero’s life, but also helps to rescue the captain’s daughter from trouble. Under arrest, Pyotr Grinev does not lose his dignity and faith in the truth, and hope does not deceive him: in the end, justice triumphs, and Catherine II signs the decree of release.

Masha Mironova also shows an example of moral duty by remaining faithful to Pyotr Grinev and achieving his acquittal. Her act is all the more significant because almost no one believed in his innocence: even his own father refused to believe it. That is why Pushkin made the girl the main character of his story, naming his work in her honor.