Modern society impossible to imagine without ethical standards. Every self-respecting state draws up a set of laws that citizens are required to follow. The moral side in any business is a responsible component that cannot be neglected. In our country, there is the concept of moral damage, when the inconvenience caused to a person is measured in material terms in order to at least partially compensate for his experiences.

Morality- the norms of behavior accepted in society and ideas about this behavior. Morality is also understood as moral values, foundations, orders and prescriptions. If in a society someone commits acts that contradict the designated norms, then they are called immoral.

The concept of morality is very closely related to ethics. Compliance with ethical ideas requires a high spiritual development. Sometimes social attitudes run counter to the needs of the individual himself, and then a conflict arises. In this case, an individual with his own ideology runs the risk of being misunderstood, lonely among society.

How is morality formed?

morality of man largely dependent on himself. Only the individual is responsible for what happens to him. It depends on how ready she is to follow the rules established in society, whether a person will be successful, accepted by others. The development of morality, moral concepts occurs in the parental family. It is those first people with whom the child begins to interact in the early stages of his life that leave a serious imprint on his further fate. So, the formation of morality is significantly influenced by the immediate environment in which a person grows up. If a child grows up in a dysfunctional family, then from an early age he develops a wrong idea about how the world works and a distorted perception of himself in society is formed. As an adult, such a person will begin to experience tremendous difficulties in communicating with other people and will feel discontent on their part. In the case of raising a child in a prosperous average family, he begins to absorb the values ​​of his immediate environment, and this process occurs naturally.

Awareness of the need to follow social prescriptions occurs due to the presence in a person of such a concept as conscience. Conscience is formed with early childhood under the influence of society, as well as individual inner feelings.

Functions of morality

Few people really have a question, why do we need morality? This concept is made up of many important components and protects the conscience of a person from undesirable acts. For the consequences of his moral choice, the individual is responsible not only to society, but also to himself. There are functions of morality that help it to fulfill its task.

• Evaluation function related to how other people or the person himself determines the actions committed by him. In the case when self-assessment occurs, a person is usually inclined to justify his own actions by some circumstances. It is much more difficult to bring actions to the public court, because society is sometimes inexorable when evaluating others.
• Regulatory function helps to establish norms in society that will become laws designed for universal observance. The rules of behavior in society are assimilated by the individual at a subconscious level. That is why, getting to the place where it is located a large number of people, most of us, after some time, begin to unmistakably follow the unspoken laws adopted in this particular society.
• Controlling function is directly related to testing the extent to which an individual is able to follow the rules established in society. Such control helps to achieve the state of " clear conscience and social approval. If an individual does not behave appropriately, then he necessarily receives as back reaction condemnation from other people.
• Integrating function helps to maintain a state of harmony within the person himself. Performing certain actions, a person, one way or another, analyzes his actions, “checks” them for honesty and decency.
• educational function is to enable a person to learn to understand and accept the needs of other people, to take into account their needs, characteristics and desires. If an individual reaches the state of such an inner breadth of consciousness, then it can be said that he is able to take care of others, and not just about himself. Morality is often associated with a sense of duty. A person who has duties to society is disciplined, responsible and decent. Norms, rules and orders educate a person, form her social ideals and aspirations.

moral standards

Are consistent with Christian ideas about good and evil and what a real person should be.

• Prudence is an essential component of any strong person. It implies that an individual has the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding reality, build harmonious connections and relationships, make reasonable decisions, and act constructively in difficult situations.
• Abstinence involves a ban on staring at persons of the opposite sex who are married. The ability to cope with one's desires, impulses is approved by society, unwillingness to follow spiritual canons is condemned.
• Justice always implies that for all the deeds committed on this earth, sooner or later retribution or some kind of response will come. Fair treatment of other people is, first of all, to recognize their value as significant units. human society. Respect, attention to their needs also apply to this item.
• Fortitude is formed due to the ability to endure the blows of fate, to endure the necessary experience for oneself and constructively get out of a crisis state. Perseverance as a moral norm implies the desire to fulfill one's destiny and move forward, despite difficulties. By overcoming obstacles, a person becomes stronger and can later help other people to go through their individual trials.
• industriousness valued in every society. This concept is understood as a person's passion for some business, the realization of his talent or abilities for the benefit of other people. If a person is not ready to share the results of his work, then he cannot be called hardworking. That is, the need for activity should not be connected with personal enrichment, but with serving the consequences of one's work to as many people as possible.
• Humility achieved through long suffering and repentance. The ability to stop in time, not to resort to revenge in a situation where you have been greatly offended, is akin to a real art. But for real the strong man has tremendous freedom of choice: he is able to overcome destructive feelings.
• Politeness necessary in the process of human interaction with each other. Thanks to it, it becomes possible to conclude deals and agreements that are beneficial for both parties. Politeness characterizes a person with better side and helps her constructively move in the direction of given goal.

moral principles

These principles exist, making significant additions to generally accepted social norms. Their significance and necessity is to contribute to the formation of general formulas and patterns adopted in a given society.

• Talion principle clearly demonstrates the concept of uncivilized countries - "an eye for an eye." That is, if someone has suffered any loss through the fault of another person, this other person is obliged to compensate the first through his own loss. Modern psychological science says that it is necessary to be able to forgive, reconfigure yourself to the positive and look for constructive methods to get out of the conflict situation.
• The principle of morality involves following Christian commandments and observing divine law. An individual does not have the right to harm his neighbor, to deliberately try to cause him any damage based on deceit or theft. The principle of morality most strongly appeals to the conscience of a person, makes him remember his spiritual component. The phrase “Treat your neighbor as you would like him to treat you” is the most vivid manifestation of this principle.
• The principle of the "golden mean" expressed in the ability to see the measure in all matters. This term was first introduced by Aristotle. The desire to avoid extremes and move systematically towards a given goal will certainly lead to success. You cannot use another person as a way to solve your problems. individual tasks. In everything you need to feel the measure, to be able to compromise in time.
• Principle of well-being and happiness It is presented in the form of the following postulate: "Act towards your neighbor in such a way as to bring him the greatest good." It doesn’t matter what deed will be done, the main thing is that the benefit from it can serve as many people as possible. This principle of morality implies the ability to predict the situation several steps ahead, to foresee the possible consequences of one's actions.
• The principle of justice based on equal treatment among all citizens. It says that each of us must abide by the unspoken rules of dealing with other people and remember that a neighbor who lives with us in the same house has the same rights and freedoms as we do. The principle of justice implies punishment in case of unlawful acts.
• The principle of humanism is the leading among all the above indicated. It assumes that each person has an idea of ​​a condescending attitude towards other people. Humanity is expressed in compassion, in the ability to understand one's neighbor, to be of maximum use to him.

Thus, the importance of morality in human life is of decisive importance. Morality affects all spheres of human interaction: religion, art, law, traditions and customs. Sooner or later, questions arise in the existence of each individual individual: how to live, what principle to follow, what choice to make, and he turns to his own conscience for an answer.

Question 1. Who is called good? What is evil? What is the meaning of the golden rule of morality? What is the meaning of ecological morality?

Kindness - responsiveness, sincere disposition towards people, the desire to do good to others. Kindness is what is done voluntarily, disinterestedly, for the benefit of all and for one's own benefit, and not to the detriment of oneself.

Evil is a concept of morality, the opposite of good, means intentional, intentional, conscious infliction of harm, damage, suffering to someone.

« Golden Rule morality" - a general ethical rule, which can be formulated as "Treat people the way you want to be treated." The negative formulation of this rule is also known: “do not do to others what you do not want to yourself.”

Man should remember the great environmental rule: you can not demand more from nature than it is able to give. It teaches us careful attitude to nature. Do not pollute, do not litter. Clean up your outdoor areas. Do not pollute the atmosphere with various waste: do not dump industrial waste into water bodies where all living things can die, and exhaust gases from cars pollute the air. We need to treat nature with respect and care.

Question 2. Does morality have power over people? What happens when moral standards are violated? Is it possible to live without morality?

Sanctions for failure to comply with moral standards are public condemnation and pangs of conscience. In fact, a person only consists of morality, any principles. And when something goes beyond the scope of his morality, he already considers it to be bad, or, on the contrary, too good, but in both cases it is not in his morality. So morality is a reflection of our "I" as a whole.

Question 3. What is morality? Why do people need it?

Morality - accepted in society ideas about good and bad, right and wrong, good and evil, as well as a set of norms of behavior arising from these ideas. Sometimes the term is used in relation not to the whole of society, but to its part, for example: Christian morality, bourgeois morality, etc.

The peculiarity of morality is that it regulates the relationship of a person to another person in terms of good and evil, justice or injustice. It is no coincidence that they say: "Morality begins where one person has done something good to another."

Question 4. On what basis do we recognize morality? Why is it called a universal human value?

The presence of an ideal of human behavior to which every person should aspire. Without morality, we would not have a society, it simply could not exist, therefore it is called a universal human value.

Morality covers moral views and feelings, life orientations and principles, goals and motives of actions and relationships, drawing a line between good and evil, conscientiousness and dishonesty, honor and dishonor, justice and injustice, norm and abnormality, mercy and cruelty, etc.

Morality acts, first of all, as a regulator of people's behavior in society. Moreover, the method is specifically social: it appears when natural regulators can no longer cope with the more complicated organization. public life(tribal, labor, family and household, etc.). At the same time, the emerging morality initially relies on at least the minimum freedom of a person from the natural conditions of existence. Moral regulation makes sense and is needed where there is at least some choice of a line of behavior, an elementary opportunity to prefer one act to another.

Question 5. Why is humanism considered the highest moral value?

Humanism - democratic, ethical life position stating that human beings have the right and duty to determine the meaning and form of their lives. Humanism calls for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values, in the spirit of reason and free exploration, through the use of human abilities. Humanism affirms the value of a person as a person, his right to freedom, happiness, development, manifestation of his abilities.

Question 6. What actions show love for one's neighbor?

Thousands of years ago, people discovered that the highest value, or, as they say, the moral ideal, is humanity, humanism. With particular clarity and simplicity, the meaning of the moral ideal is expressed in the Bible: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This, of course, does not mean that you need to embrace everyone immediately. The humane attitude of a person to a person is achieved only in one way - through the observance of the principles and norms of morality. This means: you must not kill, you must not lie, you must not bear false witness, you must not encroach on someone else's property. But we must strive for peace and brotherhood. You have to be merciful and generous. You need to be able to tolerate the shortcomings of other people, be able to forgive, sometimes sacrificing your own interests. This is where love for one's neighbor comes in.

Question 7. How are patriotism and citizenship related?

Citizenship and patriotism are among the highest moral values. All people live in some state, in their big house. They are citizens of their country.

The highest manifestation of citizenship is patriotism - a high, intimate feeling of love and devotion to the Fatherland. And there is no need to rant a lot, let alone shout about him at every corner, as some arrogant impostors do. In fact, patriotism is love. And love is a sublime and deeply personal feeling. Love is the pinnacle of moral attitude towards the one you love. And the main manifestation of love is selfless service.

Question 8. What is the meaning of the concept of "good"?

The concept of "good" reflects our desire for humanity, humanism. By good we understand everything that contributes to the improvement of life, the moral elevation of the individual, the improvement of society.

We consider the relationship of justice, mercy, love for one's neighbor to be good. When we say “kind” about a person, we mean that he is ready to help another person and will do it not for profit, but disinterestedly.

We consider good the movement for the revival and strengthening of our Fatherland, for a democratic society, constitutional state for the rights and freedoms of every citizen.

In order for there to be more good in life, it is important to remember that one's deeds and their consequences must always be evaluated by a moral measure.

Question 9. What does the concept of "evil" mean? Why is it called many-sided and insidious?

Everything that is opposite to good is evil. This is a violation of morality. Evil destroys the soul of the one who does evil, leads to moral degradation (destruction) of his personality.

The concept of evil covers all negative phenomena: violence, deceit, meanness, theft, hooliganism, cruelty, betrayal, denunciation, etc. Evil is where a person is humiliated, insulted, where he is treated not as a living being, but as things that you can benefit from.

Where there is a great social evil (exploitation, wars of conquest, persecution of dissidents, dissidents or people of a different nationality, skin color, class or origin, etc.), there is necessarily a small evil, everyday, which has become a habit, in morals, into the psychology of people - rudeness, rudeness, selfishness, indifference to the suffering and grief of other people, stupidity, cruelty, lies, drunkenness, cunning, deceit, etc.

When the happiness of some people, their wealth and strength are achieved at the expense of the misfortune of others, this is evil. When the strong offend the weak, when they blame the other, when the hooligan insults people, the salesman is rude, the bureaucrat "wobbles" and waits for a bribe, the taxi driver, waiter, foreman, without providing any additional services, demand more than what they have earned, when the younger ones do not respect the elders, men and young healthy people in public transport they sit, while women and the elderly stand, when they mess around at work, when they use their official position for selfish purposes, when the rulers are indifferent to the fate of their compatriots and only care about their privileges, when they do not pay salaries and pensions, when they live on dishonestly received funds etc. - all this is moral evil. Unfortunately, it has many faces.

Question 10. The wise man was asked: "What is the best life?" He replied: "When we do not do what we condemn in others."

Explain this statement in terms of morality. What moral rule is contained in this statement?

A person condemns in others exactly what is characteristic of himself first of all. Moreover, he does the same as the one whom he condemns. Do not judge and you will not be judged.

Question 11. One wise man said: “If I am not for myself, then who is for me? But if I'm only for myself, then why me?

Explain the meaning of this moral position. Express your point of view in relation to the position of this person.

If a person thinks only of himself, this is certainly bad. And if he thinks about others helping them, then they will help you. This means that you have to do everything yourself, no one will ever do anything for you, but at the same time you must be responsive and ready to help another, that is, disinterestedly, and not expect that if you helped, then you are obliged to help.

Question 12. Answer "yes" or "no" to each item of the test. Can you:

1) donate your time to help someone who needs help - yes;

2) honestly confess and apologize if you have done a bad deed - yes;

3) forgive your offender - yes;

4) break away from the TV if you need to get down to business - yes;

5) to protect the unjustly offended or weaker - yes;

6) keep his word, if he promised - yes;

7) to fulfill the order, even if faced with difficulties - yes.

What is morality for?

In order to reveal the nature of morality, one must try to find out how, in what ways it reconciles personal and social interests, what it relies on, what in general encourages a person to be moral.

If law, for example, relies primarily on coercion, on force state power, then morality - on conviction, on the power of consciousness, social and individual. "It can be said that morality rests, as it were, on three" pillars ".

Firstly, these are the traditions, customs, mores that have developed in a given society, among a given class, social group. The emerging personality learns these mores, traditional forms behaviors that become habitual become the property of the spiritual world of the individual.

Secondly, morality is based on force. public opinion which, through the approval of some actions and the condemnation of others, regulates the behavior of the individual, teaches him to observe moral standards. The instruments of public opinion are, on the one hand, honor, good name, public recognition, which are the result of a conscientious fulfillment by a person of his duties, his steady observance of the moral norms of a given society; on the other hand, shame, shame of a person who has violated moral norms.

Finally, thirdly, morality is based on the consciousness of each individual, on his understanding of the need to harmonize personal and public interests. This determines a voluntary choice, voluntary behavior, which takes place when conscience becomes a solid basis for the moral behavior of a person.

Thus, I can conclude that for personal relationship It is essential to morality not only that the personality and behavior of a person depends on its assimilation, and, consequently, the attitude of other people in society towards him, his position among them, but also that the assimilation of morality by a person, the type of his morality in a huge degrees depend on him, on his activity, on his life position.

A moral person differs from an immoral one, from one who has "no shame, no conscience", not only and not even so much in that his behavior is much easier to regulate, to subordinate to existing rules and norms. The personality itself is impossible without morality, without this self-determination of one's behavior. Morality turns from a means into an end, into an end in itself of spiritual development, into one of essential conditions formation and self-affirmation human personality. But it must also be said of those who scornfully speak of morality. And this scorn is not as limitless as it might seem. First, rejecting some moral values, this or that person, even not always realizing it, accepts others, focuses on them. After all, "the phenomenon of "unconscious consciousness" is not uncommon - a consciousness that a person has and which is guided in practice, without reflecting this in his mind." Secondly, violations of moral norms by someone do not occur every time when the situation puts him before a choice, but only from time to time and in general within the framework of "tolerance" for others. Going beyond the "tolerant" leads to a break in the social environment of ties with a given person, to his ostracism, expulsion from the environment. Thirdly, violating morality, a person usually does not accept its violations by others, especially in relation to himself, and thus remains under its influence, recognizes it, feels its necessity.

Man and Morality

Man is a social being. Therefore, an indispensable condition for "admission" to the life of society is the process of socialization of the individual, i.e., the development by him of a specifically human way of life, the basic values ​​of material and spiritual culture. And secondly, because modern industrial society is based on the broadest division of labor (material and spiritual), which gives rise to the closest interdependence of people. After all, the most ordinary, normal existence of each of us turns out to be dependent on how hundreds and thousands of people completely unfamiliar to us (manufacturers of goods, their sellers, transport workers, teachers, doctors, military, etc.) perform their usual, routine work.

Thus, it can be said that the method human existence necessarily gives rise to people's need for each other. The social connection of individuals that arises in this case involuntarily contains their a priori (experimental) trust, benevolence, sympathy for each other - after all, without this initial trust in strangers (doctors, cooks, chauffeurs, rulers, etc.) no social life impossible. It is this social connection and interdependence of people that arises from simple fact them living together, and are the objective basis of morality - the leading spiritual regulator of the life of society.

Morality is usually understood as a certain system of norms, rules, assessments that regulate communication and behavior of people in order to achieve unity of public and personal interests. In moral consciousness, a certain stereotype, pattern, algorithm of human behavior is expressed, recognized by society as optimal at this time. historical moment. The existence of morality can be interpreted as the recognition by society of the simple fact that life and interests individual person guaranteed only if the solid unity of society as a whole is ensured.

Of course, when committing a moral or immoral act, an individual rarely thinks about "society as a whole." But in moral precepts ready-made templates behavior the public interest is already provided for. Of course, one should not think that these interests are deliberately calculated by someone and then formalized into moral codes. The norms and rules of morality are formed naturally - historically, for the most part spontaneously. They arise from many years of mass everyday practice of human behavior.

Moral requirements for an individual in the moral consciousness take a variety of forms: these can be direct norms of behavior (“do not lie”, “honor elders”, etc.), various moral values(justice, humanism, honesty, modesty, etc.), value orientations, as well as moral and psychological mechanisms of self-control of the individual (duty, conscience). All these are elements of the structure of moral consciousness, which has a number of features. Among them it is worth noting: the comprehensive nature of morality, its non-institutional, imperative.

COMPREHENSIVE CHARACTER OF MORALITY means that moral requirements and assessments penetrate into all areas human life and activities. Any political declaration will not miss a chance to appeal to moral values, any work of belles-lettres necessarily contains a moral assessment, no religious system will find followers if it does not include sufficiently strict morality, etc. Any everyday situation has its own "moral cut" that allows you to check the actions of participants on " humanity".

OUTSIDE INSTITUTIONAL morality means that, unlike other manifestations of the spiritual life of society (science, art, religion), it is not a sphere organized activities of people. Simply put, there are no such institutions and organizations in society that would ensure the functioning and development of morality. Even money cannot be invested in the development of morality - there is nowhere to invest. Morality is comprehensive and at the same time elusive!

The third feature of morality - IMPERATIVE - consists in the fact that most moral requirements do not appeal to external expediency (do this and you will achieve success or happiness), but to moral duty(do this because your duty requires it), that is, it has the form of an imperative, a direct and unconditional command. Moreover, good should not be done for the sake of reciprocal gratitude but for the sake of goodness itself. In this call, I think, there is a completely rational meaning - after all, the general balance of the good done and the rewards for it is reduced only at the level of society. It’s not worth expecting reciprocal gratitude for your good deeds in each specific case.

Among the many FUNCTIONS performed by morality, the main ones are considered to be: regulatory, evaluative-imperative, cognitive.

THE MAIN FUNCTION OF MORALITY, of course, is REGULATORY. Morality acts, first of all, as a way of regulating the behavior of people in society and self-regulating the behavior of an individual who has the opportunity to prefer one act to another.

The moral method of regulation, unlike others (legal, administrative, etc.), is unique. Firstly, because it does not need any institutions, punitive bodies, etc. Secondly, because moral regulation involves the assimilation by individuals of the relevant norms and principles of behavior in society. In other words, the effectiveness of moral requirements is determined by the inner conviction of the individual. Such a regulator of behavior is certainly the most reliable of all possible. The only problem is how to form it. So far, few have succeeded.

The essence of morality is no less clearly manifested in its other function - ESTIMATE-IMPERATIVE. It provides for the separation of all social phenomena into "good" and "evil". Actually, with the help of these fundamental categories of morality, any manifestation of social life is assessed and, accordingly, a command (imperative) is formulated for the individual: act in such and such a specific way, for this is good, and, conversely, refrain from such and such actions, because this is evil. .

COGNITIVE function of morality in to some extent derivative of the estimate. Moral approval or indignation at any style of behavior is often the surest indicator that a particular form of life is outdated, has lost its historical justification, or, conversely, marks a new way of life, although unusual, but quite promising. The state of morals in each particular era is a self-diagnosis of society, i.e. his self-knowledge expressed in language moral assessments, requirements and ideals.

The totality of these and other (educational, orienting, prognostic, communicative, etc.) functions determines the SOCIAL ROLE OF MORALITY.

Every morality is socially-historically conditioned. Its specific appearance in a given era is determined by many factors: the type of material production, the nature of social stratification, the state of state-legal regulation, the conditions of communication, the means of communication, the system of values ​​accepted by society, etc. In other words, qualitatively diverse types of society cause appearance various types moral systems, including religious ones.

Of all the religious moral systems, perhaps the best known to us is the CHRISTIAN one. She proposed a fundamentally new scale of human values, resolutely condemned the cruelty, violence, and oppression common at the end of the past era, and glorified the "suffering", the poor, the oppressed. It was Christianity that actually transferred the center of gravity in moral regulation from its external, coercive forms to its internal, obeying the dictates of conscience. Thus, it recognized a certain moral autonomy and responsibility of the individual.

The religious framing of morality as its main feature is characteristic mainly of the Middle Ages, feudalism. The morality of the bourgeois epoch is quite different. It is distinguished by a pronounced individualistic orientation of morals, their largely selfish nature (egoism, unlike individualism, is a person’s desire not only to realize himself independently, but to do it without fail at the expense of another). The semantic core of the moral systems of the bourgeois era should be recognized as the cult of reason imposed by the philosophy of the Enlightenment, according to which only reason is able to overcome the anarchy of evil, to bind it with its activity, to unite the chaotic aspirations of people into a kind of harmonious whole.

The 20th century witnessed attempts to create another type of morality - SOCIALIST. The idea of ​​its creators, in general, successfully fit into the theory of morality: if the morals of people are ultimately determined by the material conditions of their lives, then, therefore, in order to generate a new morality, it is necessary, first of all, to change these conditions. Which was done (initially in Russia), and in the most radical way.

The relations of property, production as a whole, politics, law, etc. were resolutely revised. Mores were also changed, both due to the "natural course of things" and under the influence of massive "moral" or "communist education." The values ​​of collectivism, internationalism, Stalin's ideology of universal equality are in fact the inner convictions of many people, the real regulators of their behavior.

However, despite the colossal efforts of the huge state and ideological apparatus, real morality could not reach the level of "official morality", a system of norms fixed at least in the well-known "Moral Code of the Builder of Communism".

In order to understand the essence of this peculiar phenomenon, it is necessary to explain the mechanism itself, the method of self-development of morality. How does morality develop?

Any changes in material relations give rise to a new orientation of people's interests. Existing moral norms cease to correspond to their new interests and, therefore, to optimally regulate social relations. Their implementation no longer gives the desired result.

The growing discrepancy between mass moral practice and officially enshrined norms always indicates a DIFFICULTY in public life. Moreover, this trouble can be a signal of the need for two kinds of changes:

a) either generally accepted moral norms are outdated and require replacement;

b) either the development of material social relations, reflected in moral norms, went completely in the wrong direction, in which it was expected, and order must be put in this area.

This situation has developed in our society in recent decades. A deep crisis in the economy, a non-working economic mechanism, the powerlessness of the leadership to change the situation formed a behavioral practice that contradicted the officially proclaimed moral requirements. The well-known in the times of the socialist economy the formula "the plan is the law of the activity of the enterprise" operated in very peculiar conditions.

It is known that many industries National economy countries, especially those that produced goods consumer goods, have never received funded materials for 100% fulfillment of the plan. And this could not but push the economic leaders to different kind abuses in the name of fulfilling the tasks set from above, and even without any personal self-interest, but only in the interests of the enterprise.

So already at the planning stage, deliberate deceit, a discrepancy between words and deeds, were laid in economic relations. And what was the practice of drawing up actually two different state budgets - prosperous for everyone to see and scarce for a narrow circle of initiates.

Ultimately, the moral crisis of our society was only a symptom of a deeper crisis - in the economic foundations of our socialist existence. Their next radical turn to the old, mainstream of development European civilization will affect, of course, and morality. Will he heal her? In the long term - certainly, yes, in the near future - hardly. After all, new economic, political, and other realities are overturning the system of values ​​that has developed over the course of the lives of many generations of people.

In new conditions private property turns out to be no less sacred than public; stigmatized criminal speculation often turns into an honest business, and the "native" team leaves a person to the mercy of fate, advising to rely on own forces and not be dependent.

Such a "cool" change of values ​​and guidelines cannot be painless for morality. It resembles a surgical operation without anesthesia: it hurts, of course, but be patient, perhaps the condition will improve.

In the meantime, the moral crisis continues to deepen. The hope of overcoming it can be seen, blush at least, in the following:

firstly, in simple universal norms of morality (such as "do not kill", "do not steal", "honor your father", etc.), which are still the majority normal people sticks to no matter what;

secondly, in the mechanism of SELF-REGULATION of morality, which, by its very essence, is designed to comply with the general, generic interest in the chaos of individual passions and vices. The Real Threat this common interest can stabilize morals, stop their degradation. The moral instinct seldom fails mankind.

Let us recall once again that no morality, by the very nature of this social phenomenon cannot be introduced, imposed "from above", from a height theoretical level(as is possible, for example, in science). It must grow "from below", take shape and take shape on empirical level which theoretical morality can only correct, serve as a model, an ideal.

The real basis for the improvement of morals, i.e. practically developing moral relations and empirical moral consciousness, there can only be putting things in order in the material and other spheres of life in our society.

02But I

Morality is a system of purely conditional rules of behavior in society, based on the prevailing perception of good and evil. Generally speaking, morality is a coordinate system that allows you to direct the actions of people in such a way that the results of their actions bring benefits to all of humanity as a whole. From a psychological point of view, morality is- a deep part of the human psyche, which is responsible for assessing ongoing events, namely for recognizing good and evil. Quite often, the word "morality" is usually replaced by the word "morality".

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

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

Morality is human attempt to determine what is right and wrong in relation to 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 adopted in society.

For example, in the Middle Dark Ages, when society was poorly educated, but very religious, it was a very moral act to burn people suspected of witchcraft. It goes without saying that in the modern era, science and law, this is considered a terrible stupidity and a crime, but no one has canceled the historical facts. And there was also slavery, holy wars, various kinds and other events that were perceived by certain parts of society as something normal. Thanks to similar examples we figured out that morality and its norms are very conditional rules that can change to suit the social order.

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

Functions of morality and why do people need morality?

Despite many philosophical and scientific theories, answer to this question quite simple. Morality is necessary for people for further prosperous coexistence and development as a species. It is precisely because there are general concepts, about what is good and what is bad, our society has not yet been swallowed by chaos. Thus, we can say that the function of morality is to form general rules behavior 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.

The golden rule of morality is:

« Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you.»

There are several interpretations of this principle, but they all convey the same essence.

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 differences in cultural characteristics. Nevertheless, as an example, we will cite precisely those norms of morality that are not in 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 ();
• Self respect and respect for other people.

In our time, there is a tendency to destroy morality and declare it a prejudice. But is morality a prejudice? Let's think about how morality appeared and why it is needed. After all, it is not just that there were prohibitions on some aspects of human behavior.

Usually moral principles forbid what a person in their right mind would never think of doing. Those. these prohibitions are imposed on elements of unnatural behavior that are contrary to a healthy mind and cause a negative reaction in the psyche of others. Often such behavior is called asocial, it is detrimental to humanity. For example, if it was the norm to kill each other, then humanity would have disappeared from the face of the earth long ago. So normal person is disgusted with murder and is horrified at the sight of the torture of others. This reaction is given to us by nature. psychological mechanism, which defines a style of behavior with other individuals that contributes to the survival of the entire species. Thus, basic principles morality is genetically determined. This is also indicated by the fact that criminals have a genetic predisposition to crime. Morality is a kind of social self-preservation instinct that ensures the survival of the species and excludes its self-destruction. By the way, even animals in intraspecific struggle rarely bite each other to death.

But not all elements of the moral behavior of rational beings have yet been fully formed. We can say that morality is only being formed, and the whole history of the species Homo sapiens this is the evolution and formation of morality, and this process is still far from complete. Many moral laws exist in the form of rules. But, the rules of public morality, being based on genetic morality, prohibit doing only what causes horror, disgust or hostility. And disgust can cause not only murder, but also vile deeds, debauchery and especially perversion. The latter cause it due to their unhygienic and unnatural nature. Physical deformities also cause disgust, because they are unnatural and are deviations from the norm, this is something that should not be. Immoral behavior is the same ugliness, only psychological. And the feelings that you experience when you see sexual perverts are identical to those you experience when you see freaks in test tubes. A gay parade is exactly the same unhealthy ugly spectacle. But it’s not the freaks’ fault that they were born like that, and along with disgust they evoke compassion, while the perverts became like that of their own free will, and therefore, in addition to disgust, they also cause anger and indignation, and I want them to disappear from the face of the earth.

Thus, morality reflects the naturally correct behavior developed by nature, and in no way is it a prejudice. Immoral always = disgusting. If you shit in the middle of a banquet hall, it will be immoral, as it will cause natural disgust in others. It is also immoral to publicly expose your bowel organs, as they are the body's sewer, from which impurities flow, and it is disgusting to look at them. And although the anterior organs are often called genitals, they are primarily defecation. Bare boobs are also not a very pleasant sight, although they are by no means "nasty places" unlike the previous ones, but quite the opposite. But take a look at the Papuans, and you will immediately understand why boobs have come to be considered a shame in a civilized society. It was precisely because of the unpleasantness of contemplating shameful places that they began to cover them up, and not at all because it excites someone. By the way, this does not excite either the Papuans or nudists. Even in terms of sex appeal, a woman in erotic lingerie looks 10 times more seductive than completely naked. And the interest in the naked female breast is explained only by the fact that in our culture it is customary to cover this place, which creates a veil of mystery and arouses curiosity.

Moral prejudices can be called only some of the cultural aspects adopted in a particular society. For example, somewhere a miniskirt is considered indecent, and somewhere it is considered indecent to walk without a veil. There are just different traditions and habits here, they are very relative. It is a completely different matter when they go naked for depraved purposes, for example, in striptease or porn. In addition, the desire to show everyone their shameful places is mental illness(exhibitionism). Loss of intimate shame is often observed also in schizophrenia. Therefore, all pornography lovers are mentally ill. It's the same if they enthusiastically watched the behavior of patients in a madhouse.

It is possible to draw an analogy between moral norms and rules traffic. They, too, can be declared conventions and prejudices, and start speeding, driving on a red light, driving on sidewalks, driving a car while intoxicated. Would you agree to live in a city where drunk drivers drive on the sidewalks and this is considered the accepted norm?

The destruction of morality is the destruction of the evolutionarily established laws of behavior in society, without which society (and, consequently, every person in it) cannot exist normally. The destruction of morality is a fall into chaos, lawlessness and, ultimately, extinction. Which has been proven on the basis of the Roman Empire, and many other nations that have been corrupted. And to those fools who consider morality a prejudice, I will say: if there were no morality, you would have been robbed long ago, raped in a perverted form and brutally soaked, finally dismembered and subjected to cannibalism. All this did not happen to you only due to the fact that most people have moral laws that cause horror and disgust for such actions. The destruction of moral norms that is now taking place in the West, in Europe and Russia is carried out by the enemies of humanity - the world oligarchic behind the scenes, whose goal is to remove the "useless eaters" and reduce the world's population to the fattening "golden billion" and its servants. Hence the promotion of sexual promiscuity, and the liberalization of same-sex marriages with other perversions, and the inculcation of tolerance for all this unnatural abomination, which initially disgusted people on a subconscious level.

The libertines and degenerates, who are trying to impose their antisocial behavior on others, are reminiscent of losers who, instead of trying to study better, prevent excellent students from studying in order to turn them into losers too, and thus not feel their inferiority. The question is, if you like to do debauchery and other immoral acts, then why were you born a man at all? It would be better to be a male or a sire. And since he was born a man, then you don’t need to turn into a beast! You did not pick up yours in the garbage human body to piss him off like that. Treat with respect and awe that you were born as a rational being and behave accordingly. And remember, your DNA only gives you the opportunity to become a man, and it depends only on your moral level whether you will be a man or a beast.

(C) Maxim Kobrin