Definition of morality and its basic concepts, principles, foundations and distinctive features

What is morality

Morality is a system of generally accepted norms of behavior aimed at improving and regulating relationships between people. The definition of the term belongs to the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero.

The main questions that morality answers are related to the understanding of good and evil. What can and should be done, and what cannot be done? Why do people respect each other and why don’t they? In other words, it is a set of unspoken rules about how to live, existing to ensure that people remain human.

This is interesting: what is the connection between activity and human qualities?

Another category of ethics, morality, is similar in content and purpose to morality, but differs from it in its greater focus on the personal, psychological attitude of each person.

From the above it is clear that morality is the subject of the study of ethics. Often these two concepts are perceived as synonyms. They differ in that the latter relates more to theory, and the former to practice.

There is a generally accepted ethics of certain eras and professions (journalism, medicine, etc.).

List of qualities

Responsibility

A person must understand what consequences his activity entails or, conversely, inaction. Unfortunately, it is characteristic mainly of developed and mature people, independent and with self-respect. Because it is difficult to be responsible for your actions if you are used to someone else solving issues and problems. And also, if there is an opportunity to hide, so to speak, lie low and expect that everything will resolve itself.

But it is also difficult to stand aside and feel guilty for what they have done if a person is confident in himself and understands that he simply cannot look others in the eye, and also treat himself well, knowing the truth about his cowardice.

The formation and development of responsibility is ensured by such a method as the imposition of fines. That is, for every offense you need to do something that you don’t really like, but is useful. In terms of education, raising children, everything is clear, they know the rules and restrictions, if you break them, retribution will follow.

But in relation to yourself, you will have to use self-control and endurance in order to bring what you started to the end, and still deprive yourself of something in case of misconduct.

Honesty and openness

These seem to be positive qualities of a moral person, but you should be attentive and careful so as not to harm anyone. Suppose, by opening your soul to a perverted narcissist, you will only give him trump cards to control you, and save time for independently searching for your weaknesses. You will learn more about such a person from this article, and then you will understand why this is dangerous.

So, before you trust completely, be careful and attentive. But you must always be as honest as possible with yourself. It’s more pleasant to live in illusions, but no one has canceled reality, and if you ignore it, there is a risk of getting hurt, or even worse, crashing.

Patriotism

It manifests itself not only in the form of love for one’s homeland, city, planet in general, but also in showing interest in the traditions of one’s country. It is important to know the history of your ancestors, respect and appreciate them in order to pass on the accumulated knowledge further to your descendants.

Patriotism manifests itself in the desire to change for the better, if not the planet, then at least the city, the street, and, ultimately, oneself. So, what do you know about your family? Who did what, what kind of life did they live, what were they remembered for, what role did they perform during their lifetime, what did they strive for?

Humanism

This is humanity, care, empathy. The problem is that feelings happen, it’s not easy to cause them on purpose. Therefore, if a person does not experience sincere empathy, if he is simply accustomed to relying on some kind of insensitivity for some reason, he will have to make a lot of effort to develop this humanism.

Try to notice and be aware of the moments when you feel gratitude towards other people. Perhaps this will help develop your humanity. Yes, it’s difficult to just love everyone around you, because it’s about depersonalization and in general, you can dry up in one fine moment.

But if you identify the people who surround you and are interested in them, keep track of how they were useful, and how you can help them in return, then it becomes much easier. At the very least, a figure appears towards whom one can justifiably feel something.

Politeness

Allows you to think about a person that he is developed, well-mannered and harmonious. It is pleasant to deal with him and trust arises much faster, if only the politeness is sincere, and not pointedly pompous, with the goal of getting what you want by using someone else.

Discipline and culture of behavior

There are rules, foundations and norms in society, and in order to be in it, it is important to comply with them. Otherwise, you may even end up in prison.

There is such a definition as a deviant person is someone who is not able to behave in a disciplined manner and observe norms and laws. You will learn more about what this means and how to cope with deviance in the article at the link.

Loyalty

It is highly valued in the modern world, but it presupposes not only loyalty to your partner, but also to yourself, as well as to your given word. Therefore, if you want to be valued and trusted, always keep your promises. As a last resort, warn and explain if difficulties arise, so you can save the relationship and “face”.

Collectivism

Regardless of your personality type, that is, even if you are an introvert, it is important to be able to cooperate and conduct joint activities with the group in which you are. A person needs to feel that he belongs to some community. This allows you to feel support that there are a lot of similar people behind you, even classmates, colleagues, etc.

But in addition to belonging, you must be able to interact with those around you. Not only compete and defend yourself and your interests, but also cooperate, share something, find compromises and help.

Intelligence

A moral person must be intellectually developed, but this does not mean knowledge of formulas and theorems, but the level of his awareness. That is, to what extent he can rely on his experience and feelings, how he distinguishes between what is good and what is bad, whether he knows how to make choices and whether he generally understands what he wants from life and how he can achieve it.

You need to learn to feel every moment of your life, notice the present and appreciate it. Then time will not fly by in vain, depriving you of opportunities. Check out the article on mindfulness.

Hard work

Oddly enough, slackers and rakes are rarely considered moral people, as well as those who achieved success undeservedly, and even worse, “by going over their heads.” Be diligent and do not stop in the face of difficulties. Then at least you can recognize your contributions and efforts when you achieve your goals and dreams.

Tact

It is a kind of sense of proportion, what can be said and what cannot, how close one can get, what questions will be inappropriate, and so on. A tactful person appreciates another person's boundaries and notices when the other person has lost interest in order to avoid appearing intrusive.

By the way, tactfulness significantly reduces the number of conflicts and tense situations.

Spirituality

Morality is closely related to the moral and spiritual qualities of a person. That is, it is important not just to profess some religion, but to keep faith in something in your heart, pay attention to self-development, reading books, any practices that give harmony and peace, as well as an understanding of your purpose. You will find detailed recommendations on how to increase your spiritual level here.

Respect for the older generation

It is a small branch of humanity, its important component, but we decided to pay special attention to this point. Without respecting your past and origins, it is impossible to be grateful, and accordingly, there is no sense of self-worth and good self-esteem.

No matter what our parents and grandparents are like, no matter what kind of life they lived and what kind of relationship they developed or did not develop with them, there is always a moment for which we should thank them, and for which they are worthy of respect.

Do you know what this moment is? This is a choice once made to save life, no matter for you or your dad, mom... Because that is why you now have the opportunity to read these lines and just be. That is why you have a loved one, a close person or friend, an idol, etc. And it is important to teach children to respect the elderly, help them and, of course, pay attention, which they sometimes lack.

Caring for the environment

Care for nature, our smaller brothers. We have long moved away from primitiveness, so a moral person will put out the fire before leaving the forest. He will clean up the trash after himself and will not abuse animals, if only because he has compassion.

Theories of metaethics

Celia Green identifies two types of morality:

territorial and
tribal or folk.

Territorial morality is paradoxical in that people in it are divided into “us” and “strangers” supposedly for the purpose of survival. At the same time, the fact of hospitality to “strangers” is inexplicable.

This is interesting: what is society, what is its meaning in philosophy.

Functions of morality

The main functions of morality include:

Educational - forms the right outlook on life, is able to influence a person, regardless of his age. The educational function is one of the main ones in the process of personality development.
Regulatory - dictates the basic norms of behavior in society.
Evaluative - gives an understanding of everything that happens from the position of division into good and evil. Answers the questions: What should and should not be done? What should you do in different situations? Which actions are praised and which are condemned?
Controlling - allows you to draw a conclusion about the morality of actions and control them on the part of conscience and society.
Integrating - unites everyone with common moral principles, its task is to preserve unity and peace in society, as well as the spirituality of everyone.

Approaches to understanding morality

There are four approaches to understanding morality:

Religious. Its adherents believed that the source of morality is the absolute. To curb his passions, a person is forced to turn to God for help. Faith in him helps to follow the absolute rules of behavior.
Evolutionary. In the process of natural selection, a person acquires and inherits a certain line of behavior. According to this version, morality comes from the instinct of sociability of people.
Naturalistic. The root cause of morality is nature. The human mind defines natural moral values as good or evil.
Cultural. Morality is one of the elements of society's culture.

The structure of morality

An important niche in the structure of morality is a system of values, consisting of a set of public and individual moral views and ideals.
Values are divided into primary, having the highest level of significance, and secondary.

The highest value is a person’s life, his attitude towards his neighbors and the world as a whole. value series is built in relation to this guideline : love, peaceful coexistence, altruism, honesty, responsibility, courage, desire for self-improvement, hard work, etc.

It should be noted that this hierarchy can change in the process of personality development - for example, teenagers who do not fully understand the significance of their actions may commit a crime and harm the lives of other people just for the sake of the approval of their peers. Or, for example, a sense of responsibility - it also manifests itself with varying strength, depending on age, marital status and place in society.

This is interesting: the meaning of the term immoral, who is an immoral person?

It is important to form the correct value system in childhood, convincing with words and personal example.

Society promotes an idealized value system, that is, one in which, if followed, a person will make as few mistakes as possible in relationships with others. However, everyone has the right to choose - to follow this system or to be an adherent of another, if, of course, it does not cross the boundaries of legal norms. This decision is called a moral choice.

Traits and Concepts

Morality refers to the concepts generally accepted in society about evil and good. The ability to distinguish between criteria is manifested in the behavior of an individual or in groups of people. Morality acts as a method of self-organization of a social formation with certain aspects of control. Distinctive features of moral standards:

the rules apply to all members of society and do not depend on their position in society;
a person has the right to choose to follow moral canons or not, and the decision is determined by conscience, religiosity, other prejudices and social consciousness;
moral principles cover all spheres of life in the economy and social structure, extending to areas of human interests (business, education, creativity).

Philosophical ethics deals with the study of the essence of moral canons and their influence on human behavior and consciousness. On the issue of the origin and formation of spiritual rules, scientists take several positions and have different points of view.

The first category of scientists is inclined to think about divine reason, which determines the moral foundations of society. Their concept speaks of the desire of the human soul to merge with the creator, which requires the manifestation of high morality, the word about which God left people in the commandments.

Other philosophers in their point of view rely on the works of scientists P. Kropotkin and Charles Darwin. It is suggested that in animals and primitive man there was a similarity in the psychology of consciousness, therefore ethical standards were originally laid down by nature. The foundations were regulated by prohibitions and customs, while individuals identified themselves with other individuals.

The third category of scientists speaks about the formation of morality as a result of the development of human society. The source of morality is not the individual, but the roots lie in the conditions of social and historical development. The basis is the needs and aspirations to more optimally organize the coexistence of individual people in the surrounding space.

Basic norms

Moral principles are very diverse and relate to all areas of activity. The main issues that are addressed are the concept of good and evil, their relative assessment depending on the period of social development and era. Seven basic moral norms that are characteristic of religious teachings and can be traced in modern society:

prudence and sound thinking are defined as the ability to make decisions without unnecessary emotionality and not succumb to momentary impulses;
asceticism means abstinence from excess in sexual life, limitation in pleasures and food intake, since material excesses interfere with spiritual improvement;
impartiality and justice are manifested in the assessment of people, respect for members of society, their interests and needs, while some actions cause admiration, while others require censure;
the ability to overcome difficulties, the desire to share the experience gained with others;
perseverance and hard work not only help you overcome obstacles in your path, but also benefit society;
obedience and humility speak of an individual’s ability to recognize the situation in time and stop before committing a discreditable act;
Tactfulness and politeness allow a person to establish constructive relationships and gain many profitable connections.

Philosophical works solve the problem of finding the meaning of life, the role of the individual and humanity. Each society has its own criteria for determining moral principles from the proposed list. What matters is the relationship between responsibilities and rights in the environment, the distribution of remuneration for work, and the approach to social inequality.

Known principles

In addition to generally accepted moral laws, there are principles of morality. These concepts help determine the forms of mutual communication and human activity in society. Norms concern the performance of individual actions, and principles determine the concept of direction of effort. Principles of conduct:

humane attitude towards others, recognition of the dignity and importance of everyone;
collective consciousness aimed at helping the common cause;
altruism and the desire to selflessly support another person;
mercy, good nature, manifestation of philanthropy in different conditions, compassion;
rejection of selfishness and global individualization;
a sense of proportion in emotions and actions.

Each person should tune in to constructive and positive ways of resolving controversial situations, while not wishing harm if people harm him out of ignorance.

The old principle of “an eye for an eye”, which is not considered highly moral, is not held in high esteem. The rule of morality that Aristotle set out in his works (the thesis of the golden mean) has not changed over the centuries. It says that a person needs to adhere to the kind of behavior with people that he wants to receive from them in return.

Moral norms

The concept of foundations implies certain views on what a person’s behavior should be in different areas of his life - how to behave in the family (mutual respect, trust, love, etc.), at work (arrive on time, honestly carry out assigned tasks, be polite with employees and superiors), with relatives, friends (to help and rescue in difficult situations, to support in every possible way), with acquaintances and strangers (to be polite, tactful and friendly). Here is an idealistic example of foundations.
In fact, not all people are close to these views and norms of behavior. Also, the system of moral principles includes concepts about actions taken in various life situations, for example: moving a grandmother across the road or giving up a seat on public transport, etc.

Foundations develop and may change slightly throughout a person’s life, but those laid down in childhood, the fundamental ones, basically remain unchanged.

In addition, they can be divided into public and individual. For example: not stealing is a social rule, but returning a lost wallet is a sign of an individual’s well-established personal, highly moral laws.

How do moral standards work?

The content of a person’s behavior is determined by his moral principles, since they contain some basic algorithms of behavior in a specific situation. The set of these principles is determined by the characteristics of a particular society. They are aimed at regulating various sectors of human life, as well as his actions. At the same time, all moral norms are constantly supported by public authority, discipline and opinion, and this is also reinforced by the conviction of every person in society about the need to adhere to proper behavior in specific conditions.

It is worth noting one more feature of moral norms. They are not simply a consequence of the existing social order, but act as an ideological justification for a person’s specific ideas about proper or inappropriate behavior , both in general and in a specific life situation. This is one of the key differences between moral norms and simple customs and habits, which include celebrating a birthday, wedding, or New Year.

Similarities and differences between law and morality

Law and morality are closely related to each other: they serve to maintain order in interpersonal and general social interactions. What are legal norms are necessarily included in the system of moral principles, for example: you cannot cause bodily harm to others, steal, etc. Differences between morality and law:

Actions prohibited by the legal system are subject to administrative or criminal punishment and public condemnation established by the state, while violations of moral principles are subject to only public condemnation.
Legal norms are established by the state, and moral norms are established by society.
Law has specific, established laws, morality is transmitted orally and sometimes does not have clear formulations.

Options for the formation of moral criteria of personality

There are three options for forming moral criteria of an individual:

fear-based deterrence. The child understands the connection between punishment and incorrect behavior and eventually refrains from actions that were prohibited by adults;
showing empathy. This phenomenon involves understanding the feelings of another person. People, by their actions, shift the emotional background in a positive direction;
improving the individual’s thinking and developing experience in testing assumptions and reformulating views.

Finished works on a similar topic

Course work Moral and ethical criteria of a person 490 ₽ Essay Moral and ethical criteria of a person 220 ₽ Test work Moral and ethical criteria of a person 220 ₽

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In ethics, morality is synonymous with the word morality. But some differences between them can be noted. Morality is more often described as a set of norms and rules that develop during historical development and are relevant to the entire society. Morality has a purely individual meaning. Each person is guided by his own set of principles and guidelines for behavior, which often have nothing to do with morality.

In order to understand exactly what qualities a person with developed moral and ethical qualities possesses, it is necessary to highlight two related concepts - spiritual and moral guidelines and moral principles.

Definition 3

Spiritual and moral guidelines are a complex of taboos and goals that shape the behavior of an individual.

Thanks to spiritual and moral guidelines, a person sets boundaries for himself and does not go beyond them. Landmarks control the activities of an individual, facilitating the search for a place in society and can determine the degree of his decency.

Thus, the moral and moral criteria of a person allow:

exercise self-control of actions and behavior;
put conscience into practice;
create a sense of human dignity;
promote the correct action of behavioral impulses.

Moral principles, in turn, become the basis for building interpersonal and social relationships. They can be universal and regulate their content through censure or approval by society.

Moral and ethical criteria of a person can be positive and negative. Negative ones include: anger, power, deceit. If a person has a low degree of morality, then these actions will seem acceptable, even preferable, to him. In order not to choose such forms of behavior, a person must monitor his actions.

Religious morality

One of the obligatory tasks of religion is to maintain moral guidelines and cultivate in a person the desire to follow these principles.

We can say that the main function of religious morality is to explain what is “good” and what is “evil”, what is useful to man and society , and what is harmful.

The answers to these questions are given by different religions of the world with the difference that monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) more clearly distinguish between the concepts of “good” and “evil” and are based on the 10 commandments of Moses. Based on these basic moral principles, all subsequent, secondary ones are formed.

Beliefs where polytheism is present (pagan or folk) can also promote some of the rules present in monotheism, but they often contain contradictions that are sometimes fatal.

Moral or ethical codes

Different religions have formulated fundamental principles of moral behavior. The following ethical codes are known:

The Ten Commandments of Moses are recognized by Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and are also basic to all world morality.
The golden rule is to treat others the way you want them to treat you.
Seven laws of the descendants of Noah - against murder, adultery, blasphemy, idolatry, theft, etc.
Yama and niyama in Hinduism are the prohibition of violence, theft, lies, promiscuity, and greed.
Eightfold Path of Buddhism

Morality has many aspects; with its help, the entire psycho-emotional sphere is regulated and streamlined, from individual decency to international relations.

In addition to ethics, the study of this subject is also carried out by the sociology of morality, which studies the nature of the formation of various value systems in individual social groups and the causes of emerging social conflicts caused by discrepancies in moral values, as well as possible ways to prevent them.

Morality is an essential condition for the existence of society. Its task is to make the life of each individual and society as a whole as good as possible by instilling in people the correct life priorities, values and foundations that turn the individual into a highly moral member of society.

Moral standards in modern society

Moral standards are not established at the legislative level, because for a person who thinks sensibly, their observance is natural. It is customary in society to condemn violations of moral standards. In any social group there are historically established ideas about good and bad, which are determined by personal principles. So what is a moral norm and what is its role in human life?

Moral standards (moral norms) are rules of human behavior arising from ethical and moral principles. Their observance is a moral obligation, and their violation is a source of moral obligation. This is the most important concept in moral philosophy.

Basic values and moral norms were formed as a result of various circumstances.

For example, a cheerful disposition is normal, malicious ridicule is bad. Harming someone is wrong, but protecting your family, even if you have to harm someone, is acceptable. Again, cooking at home is natural, but feeding homeless people is a highly moral act. Moral principles were formed long before legal norms. Primitive society arose under their influence. Moral standards contributed to the formation, collection of knowledge and subsequent progress of this community. The first laws were based on established norms and rules of behavior, in a more severe and specific logical form.

Types of moral standards

Moral standards create a structure that differs from other regulatory systems (law, custom, etiquette). Many authors believe that moral standards are superior to other standards, and sometimes add to them such qualities as categorization, sharpness, universality and singularity. Others note that the absolutization of moral norms and their recognition as universal and necessary is the beginning of deviations such as fanaticism.

Over time, a generally accepted classification of moral norms has become established:

• affecting biological existence, for example, a ban on killing or protecting wildlife;

• understanding the word dignity, primarily awareness of the concept of honor;

• related to independence, including personal freedom;

• relating to the storage of secret and personal information;

• awareness of the concepts: trust, truthfulness, justice, fidelity;

• peaceful resolution of interpersonal disputes;

• respect for national and religious traditions.

Thus, every born modern person, with the help of educators - parents, teachers, colleagues and partners in friendship and personal life, gradually learns what is moral and what is immoral. Rituals and traditions, customs passed down through generations, influenced the development of morality.