On morality, ethics and character
Human life and the moral values are intricately connected. Greek ‘ethikos” ‘(ethical) is adjective cognate of ‘ethos'(character) . Hence moral virtue can be also called the excellence of character.
Character is about combination of qualities which make an individual an ethically admirable person.
Character is a set of qualities which inspire an individual from within, to live a worthy life and to make life liveable for future generations to come.
The foundation of most religions of the world have their basis in the basic morals which govern and determine a valuable life.
We seem to require a morally upright God or ideal person to provide us directions in leading a virtuous life.
We look upon our elders to guide us in difficult moral situation.
Socrates stated that virtue is knowledge and man sins only from ignorance: he who is virtuous is happy.
These words of Socrates were the driving force behind the question as to what constitutes virtue and a virtuous life.
Any philosophical discussion of moral values begins with discussing relativism which states that moral and political values have no universal validity but are valid only for the specific epoch and culture on which they originate.
What was valid last century will not remain in next century because many aspects of our life would be changed by then. What is valid for a given culture may not be so for another culture.
“Everything is fair in love and war” a socially privileged person might say but a person who belongs to poorer section might stick more to morality or religion. So, are there social and economic reasons behind the moral principles we follow ?
So, are there any definitive moral principles which govern our living?
Marx believed that morality and religion is used by the bourgeoisie (rich and powerful) to control the proletariat (poorer and labour class).
The rich on their own never followed any moral or ethical rules for the betterment of society. He even believed that religion was used by ruling class to subdue the poorer section and to keep social order. So, it’s true that there are economic influences upon the moral fabric of an individual.
I have a different perspective of all the moral aspects. I believe morality and virtue is relative according to time and place and also influenced by economic factors.
But the more important aspect determining morality and ethics is the human will and our self worth and self respect. If we understand that ethics and character are about self worth and self respect then it becomes easy and a lot understandable.
We have to realise that life is connected to everything around not only by physical laws but also with the laws of perception and interpretation and eventually with our will to change.
There are certain core values which define human life. These values are life sustaining, life strengthening and also constitute life. We may deny honesty, compassion and generosity but we cannot deny the integrity and courage which follow them. Love and strength go hand in hand. Humans can have a sense of dignity only when there is realisation of self worth and self respect.
The ability of sustaining every value of life depend upon our own self respect.
If we have a decent self respect and value life, we shall maintain a respectable character and believe in ethics. If we do not believe in any self respect then humans are no different from any other biological species.
A man with self respect would always have a rich character and remain steadfast to the core values of life no matter which situation he is put into.
If necessary, such man will be ready to take a stand for all that which makes life valuable.