Is morality in your opinion black and white or fluid?

[Lik3]

I am not if it is the right question to ask considering what I am about to ask. Anyways, do you believe that morality is absolute or fluid in your humble opinion? I know we have this category where morals and ethics of various issues are discussed daily, obviously. When I say fluid, I think that it could be relative and not absolute, but I wonder if morality is changed or if our view of what is moral or ethical changed. I recall, for example, that people say that morals have changed over the years or that we were more moral back then. These specific people point out what is wrong as examples. Others believe that morals are more fluid, for a lack of better terms and that morals are not or have never been black and white. So, what is YHO (your humble opinion) on this?

 

[Eudaimonist]

I am not if it is the right question to ask considering what I am about to ask. Anyways, do you believe that morality is absolute or fluid in your humble opinion?

I don't have humble opinions.

When I say fluid, I think that it could be relative and not absolute, but I wonder if morality is changed or if our view of what is moral or ethical changed.

I think that morality is properly contextually absolute. That means that the basic principles and ultimate ends of morality are absolute, but the manner in which those principles and values apply to specific times and places can differ somewhat based on circumstances. I'm not at all suggesting that they can differ in an arbitrary way.

I suppose that an example might be marriage. That institution can differ over different cultures, and that could mean some differences in the way that ethics applies to the actions of the participants. However, that does not imply some sort of pure "relativism". The standard of evaluation would be constant as long as human nature remains the same.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Soyeong]

If morality is fluid, then it isn't morality, it's just a set of preferences. Morality is not black and white in the sense that it is always right or wrong to take a certain action or in the sense that everyone agrees on what is moral, but it is black and white in the sense that it is always right or wrong to take a certain action in a certain situation. For example, killing someone else is generally considered to be morally wrong, but there are situations where it is morally acceptable to kill someone regardless of whether anyone else agrees.

Every generation likes to judge the generations before them and say that they've made made moral progress, but how do they know that they haven't made moral regress instead? What standard is available to them to judge which is which? Without an objective moral standard, they aren't talking about right and wrong, but simply about actions that they prefer. Moral ontology is different from moral epistemology, or in other words, the existence of morality is different from how we learn which actions are moral. So the fact that different cultures can disagree about what is moral does not mean that an objective moral standard does not exist because it can be that one or both of those cultures have incorrectly perceived what is moral.

 

[durangodawood]

...Anyways, do you believe that morality is absolute or fluid in your humble opinion?...

Definitely fluid.
But it doesnt flow just any old way.

 

[WolfGate]

Morality is black and white. My understanding of it can be fluid as I grow and learn. But what is moral or not is fixed.

 

[Thursday]

I am not if it is the right question to ask considering what I am about to ask. Anyways, do you believe that morality is absolute or fluid in your humble opinion? I know we have this category where morals and ethics of various issues are discussed daily, obviously. When I say fluid, I think that it could be relative and not absolute, but I wonder if morality is changed or if our view of what is moral or ethical changed. I recall, for example, that people say that morals have changed over the years or that we were more moral back then. These specific people point out what is wrong as examples. Others believe that morals are more fluid, for a lack of better terms and that morals are not or have never been black and white. So, what is YHO (your humble opinion) on this?

Morality is black and white but each situation is different.

 

[durangodawood]

Morality is black and white. My understanding of it can be fluid as I grow and learn. But what is moral or not is fixed.

I think its indisputable that morality has varied over time and also across cultures.
Christians especially should recognize this in the moral progress on display in their own scriptures.

 

[VirOptimus]

Morality is a social construct and can therefore change.

This is a very good thing.

 

[Nithavela]

How many goats for your 9 year old daughter?

 

[DogmaHunter]

I wonder if morality is changed or if our view of what is moral or ethical changed.

What would be the difference?

I recall, for example, that people say that morals have changed over the years or that we were more moral back then. These specific people point out what is wrong as examples. Others believe that morals are more fluid, for a lack of better terms and that morals are not or have never been black and white. So, what is YHO (your humble opinion) on this?

Clearly they aren't "black and white", otherwise the "grey" area of moral dilemma's would not exist, right?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Fluid...definitely fluid.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The opposite of black and white is not 'fluid' but 'shades of grey'. Many moral situations call for nuances that make it a shades of grey kind of thing, rather than a black and white kind of thing.

 

[dickyh995]

I am not if it is the right question to ask considering what I am about to ask. Anyways, do you believe that morality is absolute or fluid in your humble opinion? I know we have this category where morals and ethics of various issues are discussed daily, obviously. When I say fluid, I think that it could be relative and not absolute, but I wonder if morality is changed or if our view of what is moral or ethical changed. I recall, for example, that people say that morals have changed over the years or that we were more moral back then. These specific people point out what is wrong as examples. Others believe that morals are more fluid, for a lack of better terms and that morals are not or have never been black and white. So, what is YHO (your humble opinion) on this?

History shows that morals change (and generally approve) over time. Slavery, discrimination of women etc.

 

[Soyeong]

History shows that morals change (and generally approve) over time. Slavery, discrimination of women etc.

History shows that the perception of morality changes, not that morality changes. If two people disagree about what is moral, that doesn't mean both are right, or that the person who happens to be on the side of the majority is right, but that one or both of them have incorrectly perceived what is moral. Otherwise, they aren't talking about morality, or what is right and wrong, but about what they are a group prefers.

 

[durangodawood]

History shows that the perception of morality changes, not that morality changes. If two people disagree about what is moral, that doesn't mean both are right, or that the person who happens to be on the side of the majority is right, but that one or both of them have incorrectly perceived what is moral. Otherwise, they aren't talking about morality, or what is right and wrong, but about what they are a group prefers.

The Bible itself shows morality changing over time.
It shows thats whats acceptable to God and whats prescribed by God has changed over time.

 

[Soyeong]

The Bible itself shows morality changing over time.
It shows thats whats acceptable to God and whats prescribed by God has changed over time.

The Bible shows that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

[durangodawood]

The Bible shows that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

OK.
But the morals prescribed for man have certainly changed, over time, in the Bible.

 

[Soyeong]

OK.
But the morals prescribed for man have certainly changed, over time, in the Bible.

Morality is based off of God's character, which doesn't change.

 

[durangodawood]

Morality is based off of God's character, which doesn't change.

Then the Bible must be really really wrong.

Most Christians, however, think the Bible is largely correct.
For them (if not for you), the Bible shows God's moral prescriptions for humans changing over time.

 

[Hank77]

Morality is based off of God's character, which doesn't change.

I agree that God never changes but what God expects from sinful, imperfect man has changed. The scriptures show me that He expects more from man after the cross than He did before the cross.