The Moral principles Are social norms that indicate what people should do or what they should avoid. They also determine which actions should be promoted or recognized and which should be criticized or punished.
East Type of rules Refer to general issues that may be applicable in very different cases. They never refer to specific situations, so they can be interpreted and applied differently depending on the case.
They come from the construction of human wisdom over time and are diffused through time thanks to the oral tradition. Therefore, they are not compiled in any book or determined by a specific person.
However, it is common for different religions to place their principles in the sacred writings and to be assigned to their prophets.
This is the case of the"golden rule", a moral principle that has been spread by various religions and whose creation is attributed to various prophets.
Moral principles constitute a fundamental basis for the construction of societies.
This is because they rely on past events to propose rules that promote events that are considered positive and avoid those that are considered negative.
Therefore, they can be variable according to the values of each culture or they can be transformed with the passage of the years. However, there are some of them that are quite widespread.
You may be interested What are the Differences between Ethics and Morals?
The Characteristics of Moral Principles
Each culture constructs its own moral principles and each person elaborates its moral system. However, these have some characteristics in common that cross all societies and all individuals.
They are consistent with each other
Moral principles must be consistent with one another; this means that in fulfilling the demands of one moral principle, one should not attempt against another.
For example, if it is accepted that"all human beings are equal"as a moral principle, it is not possible to accept another principle that says that"women are inferior to men and as such should obey them".
The more extensive a list of principles, the harder the consistency between them. For this reason, moral principles are few and refer to fundamental questions that are common to different human experiences.
Flexibility
Moral principles are generally established for a wide range of situations, so they must be flexible.
This prevents them from leaving gaps when they are put into practice. This ensures that they are sufficient to cover situations of a very diverse nature.
For example, the"no kill"rule may be insufficient as a moral principle. If correct behavior is determined only by avoiding such action, it could be inferred that other forms of abuse, such as torture, are allowed.
Therefore,"not killing"is not considered as a moral principle. In reality, this norm is included within a more flexible moral principle:"Do not do to others what you do not want done to you."
Have hierarchy
Not all moral principles are equally important. It is considered that there are superior principles, those that must always be placed above the others in the moment of a moral dilemma.
For example, preserving the life and integrity of people is a superior moral principle. This means that it is above the principle of self-determination.
That is, the free cultural expression of a people can not be above life, which implies that human sacrifices should not be made, even if it is traditional.
The Relativity of Moral Principles
Moral principles are variable according to cultures, religions and the passage of time. On the other hand, principles are also an individual construction: each person builds them according to the influence of their environment and their own experience.
However, historically there has been a philosophical debate on whether or not universal and unchanging moral principles exist.
To think that all principles are relative implies accepting all acts of other cultures because they have different principles. This view would validate behaviors such as torture, cannibalism or pedophilia.
But on the other hand, accepting that there are universal and invariable principles would also be problematic. This would imply, for example, the obligation to censor homosexuality as Middle Ages .
This debate remains to this day. However, there are some moral principles that are picked up by most cultures and religions. For this reason, they are considered, to some extent, universal.
Examples of principles considered universal
1- The Golden Rule
The golden rule refers to the premise of"do unto others what you would not have them do unto you." This moral principle is one of the universal considered, because it is shared by different religions.
This principle is applicable to a large number of situations of different complexity. It can be applied to prevent a child from hitting another in elementary school or to prevent one person from murdering another.
2- The end does not justify the means
This is another moral principle that is promoted in different religions and that can be applied in very diverse situations.
For example, it can be used to prevent a young person from cheating on a school exam to get good grades.
Likewise, it can be applied to prevent a politician from paying bribes in order to pass a law.
Freedom and self-determination
Another of the universal moral principles is the freedom of human beings to make their own decisions.
This rule is particularly controversial, because it generates a dilemma: if freedom is a higher principle, does this imply the right to pass over other moral principles?
In other words, is it correct for one person to torture another as part of the exercise of his freedoms? The answer of most civilizations to this question is NO.
Kant argued that the human being should be able to harmonize moral principles with freedoms.
According to this philosopher, this is only possible if the individual assumes the rules as his own, to fulfill them freely and autonomously, without the need for impositions that come from the outside.
You may be interested 40 Examples of Moral and Social Norms .
References
- Bishop, A. (2005). Moral principles defined: a decision-making perspective. Retrieved from: themoralcompass.co.uk.
- Encyclopedia of philosophy. (2006). Moral rules and principles. Retrieved from: encyclopedia.com.
- Hoban High School. (S.F.). 4 universal moral principles: lessons of ages. Retrieved from: hoban.org.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2004). Kant's Moral Philosophy. Retrieved from: plato.stanford.edu.
- Zolani. (2014). Moral principles: Ten myths that you will be glad to deny. Recovered from: zolani.es.