Principles and norms of morals, examples

"There is no man that would be like an island"
( John Donne )

The society consists of many individuals who are similar in many respects, but are also extremely different in their aspirations and views of the world, experience and perception of reality. Morality is what unites us, these are the special rules adopted in the human community and determine a general view of the categories of such a plan as good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad.

Morality is defined as norms of behavior in a society that have been formed over many centuries and serve for the true development of man in it. The term itself comes from the Latin word mores, which means the rules adopted in society.

Features of morals

Morality, which in many ways is the determining factor for the regulation of life in society, has several basic features. So, its fundamental requirements for all members of society are the same regardless of the situation. They operate even in situations that are beyond the area of responsibility of legal principles and extend to such spheres of life as creativity, science, and production.

Norms of public morality, in other words, traditions, are significant in communication between specific individuals and groups of people, allow "to speak the same language." Legal principles are imposed on society, and their non-fulfillment brings with it consequences of varying severity. Traditions and morals are voluntary, on which every member of society agrees without coercion.

Types of moral standards

Throughout the centuries, moral norms have assumed various forms. Thus, in primitive society, such a principle as taboo was indisputable. People who were proclaimed as transmitting the will of the gods were strictly regulated as prohibited actions that could threaten the entire society. For their violation inevitably followed a severe punishment: death or exile, which in most cases was the same. Taboo is still preserved in many traditional societies. Here, as a norm of morality, the examples are as follows: one can not be in the temple if the person does not belong to the clergy caste; You can not have children from your relatives.

Custom

The norm of morality is not only generally accepted, as a result of its withdrawal by some kind of top, it can also be custom. It is a repetitive procedure of actions, which is especially important in order to maintain a certain position in society. In Muslim countries, for example, it is traditions that are most honored, rather than other norms of morality. Customs based on religious beliefs in Central Asia can cost lives. For us, more accustomed to European culture, the analogy is legislation. It has the same effect on us as the Muslims on the traditional norms of morality. Examples in this case: a ban on drinking alcohol, closed clothing for women. For our Slavonic-European society, the custom is: to bake pancakes at Maslennitsa, celebrate the New Year with a Christmas tree.

Among the moral norms also stand out the tradition - the order of actions and the way of behavior, which persists for a long time, passed down from generation to generation. A kind of, the traditional norms of morality, examples. In this case, they include: celebrate the New Year with a Christmas tree and gifts, maybe in a certain place, or go to the bathhouse for the New Year.

Moral rules

There are also moral rules - those norms of society that a person consciously determines for himself and adheres to this choice, deciding what is acceptable to him. For such a norm of morality, examples in this case: give way to pregnant and elderly people, give a hand to a woman when leaving the transport, open the door to a woman.

Moral functions

One of the functions is evaluative. Morality considers events and actions that take place in the society, in terms of their usefulness or danger for further development, and then makes its verdict. Different kind of reality is evaluated in terms of good and evil, forming an environment in which each of its manifestations can be evaluated as positive or negative. With the help of this function, a person can understand his place in the world and form his position.

Equally important is the regulatory function. Morality actively influences the consciousness of people, often acting better than legal restrictions. Since childhood, with the help of education, every member of society has formed certain views on what can and should not be done, and this helps him to correct his behavior in a way that is useful for himself and for development as a whole. The norms of morality regulate both the internal views of a person, and therefore his behavior, and the interaction between groups of people, allowing to preserve the established way of life, stability and culture.

Educational function of morality is expressed in the fact that under its influence a person starts to focus not only on his needs, but also on the needs of people around him, society as a whole. The individual develops a consciousness of the value of needs and other participants in the society, which, in turn, leads to mutual respect. A person enjoys his freedom until it breaks the freedom of other people. Moral ideals, similar to different individuals, help them to better understand each other and act harmoniously together, positively influencing the development of each of them.

Morality as a result of evolution

The basic moral principles of any time of society existence include the need to do good deeds and not cause harm to people, regardless of the position they occupy, what nationality they belong to, followers of what religion they are.

The principles of norm and morality become necessary as soon as individuals interact. It is the origin of the society that created them. Biologists who focus on the study of evolution, say that in nature there is also a principle of mutual utility, which in human society is realized through morality. All animals that live in society, are forced to moderate their own selfish needs in order to be more fit for later life.

Many scientists consider morality as the result of the social evolution of human society, being the same natural manifestation. They say that many principles of norm and morality that are fundamental are formed by natural selection, when only individuals who could interact correctly with others survived. So, for example, lead parental love, which expresses the need to protect offspring from all external dangers in order to ensure the survival of the species, and the prohibition of incest, which protects the population from degeneration through the mixing of too similar genes, which leads to the emergence of weak children.

Humanism as the main principle of morality

Humanism is the fundamental principle of the norm of public morality. It is understood as the belief that every person has the right to happiness and an innumerable number of opportunities to realize this right, and that every society should have the idea that each of its members has value and is worthy of protection and freedom .

The basic idea of humanism can be expressed in the generally known rule: "treat the other the way you want them to treat you." Another person in this principle is seen as deserving the same benefits as any particular person.

Humanism assumes that society must guarantee basic human rights, such as the right to life, the inviolability of home and correspondence, freedom of religion and choice of residence, and the prohibition of forced labor. The society should make efforts to support people, for whatever reasons limited in their abilities. The ability to accept such people is distinguished by a human society that does not live according to the laws of nature with natural selection, condemning to death not enough strong people. Humanism also creates opportunities for human happiness, the peak of which is the realization of its knowledge and skills.

Humanism as the source of universal moral norms

Humanism in our time draws public attention to such universal problems as the proliferation of nuclear weapons, environmental threats, the need to develop wasteless technologies and reduce production. He says that containment of needs and involvement of everyone in solving problems that face the entire society can only happen through raising the level of consciousness, the development of spirituality. It forms universal norms of morality.

Charity as the basic principle of morality

By charity we understand the willingness of a person to help people in need, to feel compassion for them, perceiving their suffering as their own and wanting to alleviate their suffering. Many religions pay close attention to this moral principle, especially Buddhism and Christianity. In order for a person to be merciful, it is necessary that he does not have a division of people into "his" and "strangers", so that he sees in each "his".

Currently, much emphasis is placed on the fact that a person should actively help those who need charity, and it is important that he not only provide practical assistance, but also is ready to support morally.

Equality as the basic principle of morality

From the moral point of view, equality calls for a person's actions to be evaluated regardless of his social status and wealth, and from the general point of view, that the approach to human actions is universal. This kind of state of affairs can only be in a well-developed society that has reached a certain level in economic and cultural development.

Altruism as the basic principle of morality

This principle of morality can be expressed in the phrase "Love your neighbor as yourself." Altruism suggests that a person is able to do something good for another person free of charge, that this will not be a service to be answered, but a disinterested impulse. This moral principle is very important in modern society, when life in large cities distances people from each other, creates the feeling that caring for the neighbor without intent is impossible.

Moral and law

Law and morality are in close contact, because together they form the rules in society, but they have a number of significant differences. The correlation between the norms of law and morality makes it possible to reveal their differences.

The norms of law are documented and developed by the state as binding rules, for the non-observance of which inevitably the responsibility follows. The categories used are legal and illegal, and this assessment is objective, built on regulatory documents such as the constitution and various codes.

Moral norms and principles are more flexible and different people can be perceived in different ways, also can depend on the situation. They exist in society in the form of rules that are passed from one person to another and are not documented anywhere. The norms of morality are quite subjective, the evaluation is expressed through the concepts of "right" and "wrong", their non-observance in some cases can not lead to more serious consequences than public censure or simply disapproval. For a person, a violation of moral principles can lead to conscience.

The correlation between the norms of law and morality is traced in many cases. So, the moral principles of "do not kill", "do not steal" correspond to the laws prescribed in the Criminal Code, that the attempt on human life and his property leads to criminal responsibility and imprisonment. A conflict of principles is also possible, when a legal violation - for example, a prohibited in our country euthanasia, which is regarded as the murder of a person - can be justified by moral beliefs - a person does not want to live, there is no hope of recovery, the disease causes unbearable pains.

Thus, the difference between the norms of law and morality is expressed only in legislation.

Conclusion

The norms of morality were born in society in the process of evolution, their appearance is not accidental. They were needed earlier to keep society and protect it from internal conflicts, and continue to fulfill this and other functions, developing and progressing with society. The norms of morality were and will remain an inalienable element of a civilized society.