On Morality
What is morality? How is it defined? What systems are in place to enable this definition(s)? Where do these definitions come from? What do they include? What do they exclude? How does the definition(s) of morality relate to practical application both socially and individually? Is morality a social or individual construct? If individual, how does one’s definition of moral/immorral/amoral relate to, conflict with, and validate existing social norms? Can morality exist without a social structure? If it is a socially defined concept, how does this conceit react with, explain, defy, and define both the culture of its origin and those with whom it has contact? How does morality, conceptually, relate to and help to define immorrality? Given the prescence of the third, non-option or amorality, how does the usual dichotomous hierarch inherent in structures of power break down? How are they reinforced? When labelling with these terms, is it possible to label people? How about actions? When labelling a person, is it the entirety of the person we may say is moral or immoral? Can a person be labelled as amoral in the same way? Why or why not? If the label is to be attached to an action, is it being attached to the action itself or the consequence? For whom is the consequence relevant when determining the appropriate label? What about intention? How do well intended actions with unfortunate consequences fit into the mix? What about evil intentions with positive effect? When choosing the label based on the effect of an action, does the action require the intended recipient of positivity in order to be moral? What about actions without any moral intent? How do these relate? How does morality relate to systems of law and order? If there is a conflict between a seemingly moral action and the law, and the obeisance of the law has been prior deeded moral, how is that conflict resolved? If the actor behaves in a moral fashion, is there an altruistic requirement? How much reward is allowable prior to behaving morally? How much after? What about if people are watching, judging? What about if (s)he is alone? How does morality relate to religion and the afterlife? If morality is determined through faith alone, and the dilemma of choice is removed from the actor, can (s)he still be said to have moral standing, or is it only obediance? Is that obediance morally relevant? If an action is taken to avoid negative consequence, but the consequence of that action is positive, is that action morally relevant? How does morality relate to responisbility? Can any action taken without effect have moral relevance? Do we have any moral obligations? Is behaving in a moral fashion always preferable? When might it not be? If we have an obligation toward moral behavior, to whom do we owe that obligation? What moral obligation(s) do we owe to ourselves? Is there an acceptable hierarchy of selfishness when faced with a moral quandry? In other words, if the house is on fire, and in it stand my wife and the UPS guy, who is it right to save first? At what risk level is it okay not to save either? If I am assured of my death in order to behave morally, does that release me from moral obligation? How does morality relate to knowledge, both knowlege prior to and after the fact? Can the moral label of an action change depending on new information, or is it static, relative always to the instant and character of its specific moment? Is morality always tied to action? Can thoughts have moral relevance? What about feelings or emotions? Is moral relativism avoidable? Should it be avoided? How does moral relativism conflict with or upset social norms and expectations? Does moral relativism negate social punishment? Moral, immoral, amoral, how do we get there from here?
