What role does morality play in society? Morality and law as the basis for the formation of civil society

Public moral principles form personal principles, most intensively in the process of human socialization, but continue to influence throughout his life. At the same time, the change in public moral principles, in turn, occurs under the influence of personal principles. So, with the development of capitalism in our country, the idea of the moral character of the leader has changed quite a lot. The image of an honest, sympathetic, hero-leader of production was replaced by a businessman with good connections and capital, able to double-entry bookkeeping, skillfully use, perhaps illegal, but effective methods in the process of managing a company and fighting competitors. With this arrangement of things, the image of a modern businessman does not cause disgust among the public, but is accepted as one of the aspects of our everyday life, leads to a reassessment of values, and as a result, to a change in the general idea of morality.

A strong factor influencing the transformation of moral principles is a change in worldview, which can occur both under the influence of personal experiences and events of a national or world level. After all, during the Great Patriotic War such concepts as murder and theft had a completely different perception from the point of view of morality, if it was about self-defense and the need to somehow feed. Another example is the chaos of the 90s of the last century, when banditry flourished in the country, based on the loss of ideology and fear of the unknown.

Changing moral principles over time is an actual attribute of our modernity. But at the same time, our society is not doomed to demoralization, despite the strong influence of Western ideology, society still retains its moral character. The direct guarantee of the preservation of morality in modern society is conscience - a sense of moral responsibility for one's behavior to the surrounding people, society.

The formation of morality and its development is a long process and is still very far from its culmination. We can say that morality in the proper sense of this concept is still in the process of formation. Its triumph as a social phenomenon, when its historical ties with religion will be forgotten, when it becomes the ubiquitous and defining law of interpersonal relations, is yet to come. And there is nothing discouraging in this. Moreover, this speaks of the extraordinary complexity and duration of the formation of the human being in man, of the grandeur and immeasurable depth of the historical process.

The moral values of modern society differ markedly from traditional ones. For example, out of 10 biblical commandments, five do not work: three dedicated to God (because they conflict with freedom of conscience), about the Sabbath (contradiction with freedom to manage your time), and “do not commit adultery” (contradiction with freedom personal life). Conversely, some essential commandments are missing from religion. A similar picture is not only with the Bible, but also with the attitudes of other religions.

Modern society has its own most important values, which were far from being in the first place in traditional societies (and even considered as negative):

- "do not be lazy, be energetic, always strive for more";
- "self-develop, learn, become smarter - thereby you contribute to the progress of mankind";
- "achieve personal success, achieve wealth, live in abundance - thereby you contribute to the prosperity and development of society";
- "do not cause inconvenience to others, do not interfere in someone else's life, respect the personality of another and private property."

The main emphasis is on self-development, which leads, on the one hand, to the achievement of personal goals (for example, career growth), and on the other hand, to a “non-consumer” attitude towards other people. Of course, all classical moral imperatives are preserved: “don't kill”, “don't steal”, “don't lie”, “sympathize and help other people”. And these basic attitudes will no longer be violated in the name of God, which is the sin of most religions (especially in relation to "gentiles"). Moreover, the most problematic commandment - "do not lie" - will be strengthened to the greatest extent, which will radically increase the level of trust in society, and hence the effectiveness of social mechanisms, including the elimination of corruption. After all, a person who constantly develops himself is always confident in his own abilities and there is no need for him to lie. Lying is not beneficial to him - it can undermine his reputation as a professional. Moreover, lies are not needed, because many things cease to be "shameful" and do not need to be hidden. In addition, the attitude towards self-development means that a person sees his main resource within himself and there is no need for him to exploit others.

If we talk about the priority of values, then the main thing for modern society is the freedom of man and the condemnation of violence and intolerance. Unlike religion, where it is possible to justify violence in the name of God, modern morality rejects all violence and intolerance (although it can use state violence in response to violence).

From the point of view of Modern morality, the traditional society is simply overwhelmed with immorality and lack of spirituality, including harsh violence against women and children (when they refuse to obey), against all dissidents and "violators of traditions" (often ridiculous), a high degree of intolerance towards non-believers etc. An important moral imperative of modern society is respect for law and law, because only the law can protect human freedom, ensure equality and security of people. And, on the contrary, the desire to subjugate another, to humiliate someone's dignity are the most shameful things. A society where all these values work in in full, would be perhaps the most efficient, complex, fastest growing and richest in history. It would also be the happiest, because. would provide a person with maximum opportunities for self-realization. It should be noted that all of the above is not an invented, artificial construction. This is just a description of what millions of people are already following -- modern people which are becoming more and more. This is the morality of a man who studied hard, who through his own efforts became a professional who values his freedom and is tolerant of other people.

Modern morality is not an indulgence of selfishness and "lower instincts". Modern morality makes more demands on man than ever before in human history. Traditional morality gave a person clear rules of life, but did not require anything more from him. human life in traditional society was regulated, it was enough just to live according to the established order for centuries. It did not require soul effort, it was simple and primitive.

Modern morality requires a person to develop and achieve success by his own efforts. But she does not say how to do this, only stimulating a person to constant search, overcoming himself and exerting his strength. In return, modern morality gives a person the feeling that he is not a cog in a meaningless machine invented for no reason, but the creator of the future and one of the builders of himself and the whole world. In addition, self-development, increasing professionalism leads to the acquisition of material wealth, gives prosperity and prosperity already "in this life."

Without a doubt, modern morality destroys many meaningless rules and prohibitions (for example, in the field of sex) and in this sense makes life easier and more enjoyable. But at the same time, modern morality strictly demands that a person be a person, and not go on about his own animal instincts or herd feeling. This morality requires manifestations of reason, and not primitive emotions like aggression, revenge, the desire to subjugate other people or obey an authority that “arranges and decides everything for us.” And it is far from easy to become tolerant, to overcome personal and social complexes in oneself.

But the main thing is that Modern morality focuses not on “pleasuring oneself beloved” and not on selfless (more precisely, self-deprecating) achievement of “great goals”, but on self-improvement and improvement of everything that surrounds Modern man.

What are the characteristics of morality? The concept of morality is a whole system of norms and rules that govern the moral interaction between individuals, according to the generally accepted system of values. Thanks to moral views, a person gets the opportunity to distinguish good from evil.

How is morality formed?

How do we recognize morality? Morality affects everything The concept of morality makes it possible to reconcile personal interests with social ones. A person realizes the signs of morality in the course of the formation of a person in a society. First, the individual learns the norms of morality in the course of education, trying to do the right things, imitating older, more experienced people. Then, as they grow older, there is a comprehension of their own actions in accordance with generally accepted judgments established in society.

Signs of morality

Morality as a way of active participation in social life is different characteristic features. In total, there are three signs of morality:

Universality - the requirements of the norms adopted in the social environment are the same for all its members.
Voluntary character - actions that correspond to moral behavior are performed by individuals not forcibly. In this case, upbringing, personal convictions, and conscience come into play. Public opinion influences the voluntary performance of moral deeds.
Comprehensive character - morality affects any human activity. Moral actions naturally manifest themselves in communication, creativity, public life, science, politics.

Functions of morality

By what sign we learn is primarily a way of flexible change in the behavior of individuals in the course of social life. This is hers. As many other solutions have emerged to stimulate the “right” actions of people: administrative penalties, legal norms. However, morality remains a unique phenomenon to this day. Its manifestation does not require reinforcement from punitive bodies or special institutions. The regulation of morality is carried out due to the activation of neural connections that have been formed in the process of educating a person and correspond to the principles of behavior in society.

What is the hallmark of morality? Another of its functions is to evaluate the world in terms of humane behavior. To some extent, morality contributes to the development and creation of communities of individuals. The manifestation of the evaluative function makes a person analyze how the world around him is changing, depending on the performance of certain actions.

Another important function of morality is educational. Concentrating in itself the positive experience of previous eras, morality makes it the property of future generations. Thanks to this, the individual gets the opportunity to acquire the correct social orientation, which is not contrary to public interests.

What science studies morality?

Signs of morality, its functions, development in society are studied by a specific branch of philosophy - ethics. This science explores the basis on which morality originated in the social environment, how it developed in a historical context.

The main ethical issues are:

definition of the meaning of life, the purpose of humanity and the role of each individual;
the relative nature of good and evil, their criteria in different historical eras;
search for ways to implement justice in the social life of people.

In general, ethics should be understood as a set of moral principles that are generally accepted in a particular society or individual social groups. For example, they distinguish such a concept as what includes responsibility for a certain activity.

How was morality formed in a historical context?

Throughout the existence of a civilized society, the signs of morality remained unchanged. This is the desire to commit and refrain from evil, caring for loved ones, striving to achieve the public good. Exist wide range universal norms of behavior that operate regardless of the position of the individual in society, religious and national identity. However, some forms of morality have evolved over the course of the historical development of society:

Taboos are severe restrictions that were imposed in certain social communities on the performance of specific actions. Violation of prohibitions was associated in the minds of individuals with a threat to personal safety from other people or supernatural forces. The specified phenomenon in certain cultures operates up to our time.
Customs are repetitive norms of behavior that are maintained under the influence public opinion. The need to perform numerous customs is especially great in traditional cultures, but is gradually disappearing into oblivion in highly developed countries.
Moral rules are ideals that govern the behavior of an individual. Unlike customs and taboos, they require a conscious choice from a person.

Finally

So we found out what is the hallmark of morality, answered other questions. Finally, it is worth noting that in a civilized society, morality is inextricably linked with the concept of law. Both systems impose on the individual the need to comply with certain standards of behavior, orient a person to maintain order.

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Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine

Donetsk State University of Management

Morality and its role in the life of modern society

Completed:

Protsenko O.A.

Donetsk 2011

Introduction

Relevance. Conscience, honesty, kindness... Concepts that have always meant so much to a person. Without them, the concept of morality and the moral ideal is inconceivable. At all times, the people above all valued fidelity to duty, love for the Motherland, spiritual purity and disinterested help. Man has traveled a long and extremely difficult path in his spiritual development. However, the highest expression of the development of the human spirit has always been, above all, moral consciousness in its most humanistic, historically progressive manifestations. In other words, the historical formation of a personality can also be considered as the formation of its moral consciousness - a specific and unique way for a person to understand his place in the world, in society, his relations with other people.

Today, the problem of the moral nature of man has reached the level of a broad humanistic understanding and has turned out to be closely connected with the problem of the historical future of mankind.

The goal is to find out what morality is with different points view, as well as to determine the role of morality in the life of modern man and society.

1. The concept of morality and morality

The word "morality" (from the Latin mos, mores - temper, manners, customs) means in modern language the same as the word "morality". Therefore, most experts do not make a strict distinction between morality and morality and consider these words to be synonymous. 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.

Firstly, these are the traditions, customs, mores that have developed in a given society, in an environment this class, social group. The emerging personality assimilates these mores, traditional forms of behavior that become a habit become the property of spiritual world personality.

Secondly, morality is based on the power of public opinion, which, by approving some actions and condemning 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.

2. Functions of morality

The main function of morality is to regulate the relationship of all members of society and social groups. Each person has certain needs (material and spiritual) and interests, the satisfaction of which may conflict with the needs and interests of other people or society as a whole. According to the "law of the jungle" these contradictions could be resolved through the approval of the strongest. But such a resolution of conflicts could lead to the extermination of mankind. Therefore, the question arose about the need to approve a method for regulating conflict situations. A person was forced to combine his interests with the interests of society, he was forced to submit to the collective. If he did not obey the norms and rules of behavior in the tribe, then he should have left it, and this meant death.

Therefore, the implementation of moral norms meant a significant stage in the development of mankind, and it is associated with the need for self-preservation. With the division of society into classes, morality acquires a class character, each class has its own ideas about the norms and rules of behavior, which are determined by social and economic interests.

The second important function of morality is educational. Morality always takes part in the preparation of a new generation for future social activity is an essential moment in the formation of consciousness. The moral education of a person continues throughout life, but in the period of growing up it turns into self-education, into a free choice of holistic guidelines, types of behavior and ethical and psychological attitudes. In childhood and adolescence, a person receives primary moral ideas: adults teach him how to be, show and explain what kind of actions and thoughts are under a moral ban, practically demonstrate the punishment for violating moral obligations. Morality always fulfills its educational function through specific people and specific circumstances. A person is brought up not only by teachers, but also by the environment, that is, real relationship that develop between neighbors and classmates, close, and sometimes distant people. Television, radio, computer games, literature and art also play the role of ethical educators, albeit in an indirect form.

The third function of morality is closely related to the previous ones - communicative. Morality is not reduced to etiquette, but often it merges with it into an inseparable unity. Being a way of communication, morality teaches how to meet people and how to see them off, how to congratulate them and how to respect, how to behave on holidays and funerals, in relation to older and younger, to those who are higher or lower on the social ladder. Another important function of morality is cognitive. Whether morality cognizes the world can be disputed if one considers cognition only to find out what the world is like outside and inside a person. Morality can and does encroach on the human world. The concept of religious morality is encountered quite often in our life. This concept has long been accustomed to, it is widely used by scientists, publicists, writers and propagandists. Most often, “religious morality” is understood as a system of moral concepts, norms, values, which are justified by religious ideas and ideas.

Morality and religion are social phenomena, each of which has a qualitative originality. Speaking of "religious morality", it is necessary to correlate this concept with both religion and morality as forms public consciousness, with a specific way of regulation inherent in each of them social behavior person. The most expansive interpretation of "religious morality" comes down to the fact that it is generally understood as the moral consciousness of the believer.

3. Morality in modern society

Public moral principles form personal principles, most intensively in the process of human socialization, but continue to influence throughout his life. At the same time, the change in public moral principles, in turn, occurs under the influence of personal principles. So, with the development of capitalism in our country, the idea of the moral character of the leader has changed quite a lot. The image of an honest, sympathetic, leading-edge hero has been replaced by a businessman with good connections and capital, capable of double-entry bookkeeping, skillfully using, perhaps illegal, but effective methods in the process of managing a company and fighting competitors. With this arrangement of things, the image of a modern businessman does not cause disgust among the public, but is accepted as one of the aspects of our everyday life, leads to a reassessment of values, and as a result, to a change in the general idea of morality.

A strong factor influencing the transformation of moral principles is a change in worldview, which can occur both under the influence of personal experiences and events of a national or world level. After all, during the Great Patriotic War, such concepts as murder and theft had a completely different perception from the point of view of morality, if it was about self-defense and the need to somehow feed. Another example is the chaos of the 90s of the last century, when banditry flourished in the country, based on the loss of ideology and fear of the unknown.

The moral values of modern society differ markedly from traditional ones. For example, out of 10 biblical commandments, five do not work: three dedicated to God (because they conflict with freedom of conscience), about the Sabbath (contradiction with freedom to manage your time), and “do not commit adultery” (contradiction with freedom of personal life) . Conversely, some essential commandments are missing from religion. A similar picture is not only with the Bible, but also with the attitudes of other religions.

Modern society has its own most important values, which were far from being in the first place in traditional societies (and even considered as negative):

- "do not be lazy, be energetic, always strive for more";

- "self-develop, learn, become smarter - thereby you contribute to the progress of mankind";

- "achieve personal success, achieve wealth, live in abundance - thereby you contribute to the prosperity and development of society";

- "do not cause inconvenience to others, do not interfere in someone else's life, respect the personality of another and private property."

If we talk about the priority of values, then the main thing for modern society is the freedom of man and the condemnation of violence and intolerance. Unlike religion, where it is possible to justify violence in the name of God, modern morality rejects any violence and intolerance (although it can use state violence in response to violence).

From the point of view of Modern morality, the traditional society is simply overwhelmed with immorality and lack of spirituality, including harsh violence against women and children (when they refuse to obey), against all dissidents and "violators of traditions" (often ridiculous), a high degree of intolerance towards non-believers etc. An important moral imperative of modern society is respect for law and law, because only the law can protect human freedom, ensure equality and security of people. And, on the contrary, the desire to subjugate another, to humiliate someone's dignity are the most shameful things. A society where all these values are fully operational would be perhaps the most efficient, complex, fastest growing and richest in history. It would also be the happiest, because. would provide a person with maximum opportunities for self-realization. It should be noted that all of the above is not an invented, artificial construction. This is just a description of what millions of people are already following - Modern people, who are becoming more and more. This is the morality of a man who studied hard, who through his own efforts became a professional who values his freedom and is tolerant of other people.

Modern morality is not an indulgence of selfishness and "lower instincts". Modern morality makes more demands on man than ever before in human history. Traditional morality gave a person clear rules of life, but did not require anything more from him. The life of a person in a traditional society was regulated, it was enough just to live according to the established order for centuries. It did not require soul effort, it was simple and primitive.

At present, the problem of moral values is of great importance. This is explained by the fact that the process of renewal of all spheres of public life has brought to life many new, both positive and negative phenomena. The developing scientific and technological process, industrialization and informatization of all spheres of modern society - all this gives rise to the growth of a negative attitude towards history, culture, traditions and leads to the devaluation of values in modern world. Many of our ideals have changed drastically in the course of change.

The transformation of morality in modern society is inevitable, but its complete disappearance is impossible today, because the moral values that have been stored for hundreds of years continue to be relevant to this day, forming a positive moral image of our people and the country as a whole.

List of used literature

morality moral social society

1. Moral development of mankind / http://www.abccba.ru - http://www.abccba.ru abc35.php.

2. Puchkov O. O. The role of morality in the life of modern society / http://www.nbuv.gov.ua - http://www.nbuv.gov.ua/portal/Soc_Gum/Gileya/2010_34/Gileya34/F2_doc. pdf.

3. Golovko N.A. Morality: consciousness and behavior. - M.: Nauka, 1986. - 208s.

4. Morality of modern society /http://truemoral.ru - http://truemoral.ru/morals.php.

5. A.A. Huseynov Ethics and morality in the modern world / http://iph.ras.ru - http://iph.ras.ru/uplfile/root/biblio/em/em1/2.pdf.

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What is morality

The word "morality" has its origins in classical Latin. It is derived from the Latin word "mos", meaning - temper, custom. Referring to Aristotle, Cicero, guided by this meaning, formed the words: "moralis" and "moralitas" - moral and morality, which became equivalents to expressions from Greek: ethics and ethical.

The term "morality" is mainly used to denote the type of behavior of society as a whole, but there are exceptions, for example, Christian or bourgeois morality. Thus, the term is used only in relation to a limited group of the population. Analyzing the relations of society in various eras existence to the same action, it should be noted that morality is a conditional value, changeable in connection with the accepted social order. Each nation has its own morality, based on experience and traditions.

Some scientists have also noticed that different rules morals are applied to subjects not only of different nationalities, but also to subjects belonging to a "foreign" group. The definition of a group of people in the vector "own", "foreign" occurs on psychological level correlation of the individual with the given group in various senses: cultural, ethnic, and others. Identifying himself with a particular group, the subject accepts the rules and norms (morality) that are accepted in it, consider this way of life more just than following the morality of the whole society.

A person knows a large number of values this concept, which is interpreted from various points of view in various sciences, but its basis remains constant - this is the definition by a person of his actions, the acts of society in the equivalent of "good-bad".

Morality is created on the basis of a paradigm adopted in a particular society, since the designations “good or bad” are relative, not absolute, and the explanation of the morality or immorality of various kinds of acts are conditional.

Morality, as a combination of rules and norms of society, is formed over a long period on the basis of traditions and laws adopted in a particular society. For comparison, you can use the example associated with the burning of witches - women who were suspected of using magic and witchcraft. In such a period as the Middle Ages, against the backdrop of adopted laws, such an action was considered a highly moral act, that is, good. In the modern paradigm of accepted laws, such atrocity is considered an absolutely unacceptable and stupid crime in relation to the subject. At the same time, you can put such incidents as holy wars, genocide or slavery. In their era, in a particular society with its own laws, such actions were taken as the norm, considered absolutely moral.

The formation of morality is directly related to the evolution of various ethnic groups of mankind in its social key. Scientists studying the social evolution of peoples consider morality to be the result of the influence of the forces of evolution on the group as a whole and on the person individually. Based on their representation, the behavioral norms prescribed by morality change during the period of human evolution, ensuring the survival of species and their reproduction, and contribute to the guaranteed success of evolution. Along with this, the subject forms in himself a “pro-social” fundamental part of the psyche. As a result, a sense of responsibility for the deed, a feeling of guilt is formed.

Accordingly, morality is a certain set of behavioral norms that is formed over a long period of time, under the influence of environmental conditions at a certain moment forms a set of established ideological norms that contribute to the development of human cooperation. It is also aimed at avoiding the individualism of the subject in society; the formation of groups united by a common worldview. Sociobiologists consider this point of view in a number of species of social animals, there is a desire to change the behavior of those striving for survival and the preservation of their own species during the period of evolution. Which corresponds to the formation of morality, even in animals. In humans, moral standards are developed more sophisticated and diverse, but they are also focused on preventing individualism in behavior, which contributes to the formation of nationalities and, accordingly, increases the chances of survival. It is believed that even such norms of behavior as parental love are the consequences of the evolution of the morality of mankind - this type of behavior increases the level of survival of offspring.

Studies of the human brain, conducted by sociobiologists, determine that the parts of the subject's cerebral cortex that are involved in the period of human occupation with moral issues do not form a separate cognitive subsystem. Often, during the period of solving moral problems, areas of the brain that localize a neural network in themselves are involved, which is responsible for the subject's ideas about the intentions of others. To the same extent, the neural network is involved, which is responsible for the presentation by the individual of the emotional experience of other personalities. That is, while solving moral problems, a person uses those parts of his brain that correspond to empathy and empathy, this indicates that morality is aimed at developing mutual understanding of subjects among themselves (the ability of an individual to see things through the eyes of another subject, to understand his feelings and experiences). According to the theory of moral psychology, morality as such develops and changes in the same way as the personality is formed. There are several approaches to understanding the formation of morality at the personal level:

- cognitive approach (Jean Piaget, Lorenz Kohlberg and Elliot Turiel) - morality in personal development goes through several constructive stages or areas;

- biological approach (Jonathan Haidt and Martin Hoffman) - morality is considered against the background of the development of the social or emotional component of the human psyche. Interesting for the development of the doctrine of morality as a psychological component of the personality is the approach of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who suggested that morality is formed as a consequence of the desire of the "super-ego" to get out of the state of guilt.

What are moral standards

The fulfillment of moral norms is the moral duty of the subject, the violation of these measures of behavior is a feeling of moral guilt.

The norms of morality in society are the generally accepted measures of behavior of the subject, which arise from the formed morality. The totality of these norms forms a certain system of rules, which in all respects differ from the normative systems of society such as: customs, rights and ethics.

In the early stages of formation, moral norms were directly associated with religion, which prescribes the meaning of divine revelation to moral norms. Each religion has a set of certain moral norms (commandments) that are mandatory for all believers. Failure to comply with the prescribed moral standards in religion is considered a sin. In various world religions, there is a certain pattern in accordance with moral standards: theft, murder, adultery, lies are indisputable rules of conduct for believers.

Researchers involved in the study of the formation of moral norms put forward several directions in understanding the meaning of these norms in society. Some believe that compliance with the rules prescribed in morality is a priority in the guise of other norms. The followers of this direction, attributing certain properties to these moral norms: universality, categoricalness, immutability, cruelty. The second direction, which is being studied by scientists, suggests that the attribution of absolutism, generally accepted and binding moral norms, acts as a certain.

In the form of manifestation, some norms of morality in society are similar to legal regulations. So the principle "do not steal" is common to both systems, but asking why the subject should this principle one can determine the direction of his thinking. If the subject follows the principle because he is afraid of legal responsibility, then his act is legal. If the subject follows this principle with conviction, because stealing is a bad (evil) deed, the direction vector of his behavior follows the moral system. There are precedents in which the observance of moral standards is contrary to the law. The subject, considering it his duty, for example, to steal a medicine in order to save his loved one from death acts morally right, while absolutely breaking the law.

Investigating the formation of moral norms, scientists came to a certain classification:

- norms concerning the existence of an individual as a biological being (murder);

- norms on the independence of the subject;

- norms about trust (fidelity, truthfulness);

- norms concerning the dignity of the subject (honesty, justice);

- norms about other norms of morality.

Functions of morality

Man is a being with freedom of choice and he has full right choose the path of following moral standards or vice versa. Such a choice of a person who puts good or evil on the scales is called a moral choice. With this freedom of choice in real life the subject is faced with a difficult task: to follow the personal or blindly follow the due. Having made a choice for himself, the subject bears certain moral consequences, for which the subject himself is responsible, both to society and to himself.

Analyzing the features of morality, one can extract several of its functions:

– Control function. Following moral principles leaves a certain trace in the mind of the individual. The formation of certain views of behavior (what is allowed and what is not allowed) occurs from an early age. This kind of mode of action helps the subject to adjust his behavior in line with the usefulness not only for himself, but also for society. Moral norms are able to regulate the subject's individual beliefs to the same extent as the interaction between groups of people, which favors the preservation of culture and stability.

– Evaluation function. Actions and situations in social society, morality, evaluates in terms of good and evil. The actions that have taken place are evaluated for their usefulness or negativeness for further development, after this, from the side of morality, each action is evaluated. Thanks to this function, the subject forms the concept of belonging to society and develops his own position in it.

- The function of education. Under the influence of this function, a person develops an awareness of the importance of not only his needs, but also the needs of the people who surround him. There is a feeling of empathy and respect, which contributes to the harmonious development of relationships in society, understanding the moral ideals of another individual, contributes to a better understanding of each other.

– Control function. Determines the control of the use of moral norms, as well as the condemnation of their consequences at the level of society and the individual.

– Integration function. Following the norms of morality unites humanity into a single group, which supports the survival of man as a species. And also helps to maintain the integrity of the spiritual world of the individual. The key functions of morality are: evaluative, educational and regulatory. They reflect the social significance of morality.

Morality and ethics

The term ethics has Greek origin from the word "ethos". The use of this word denoted the actions or actions of a person that were personally powerful to himself. Aristotle defined the meaning of the word "ethos" as a virtue of the character of the subject. Subsequently, it was customary that the word "ethicos" is ethos, denoting something related to the temperament or disposition of the subject. The appearance of such a definition led to the formation of the science of ethics - studying the virtues of the character of the subject. In the culture of the ancient Roman Empire there was the word "moralis" - defining a wide range of human phenomena. Later, a derivative of this term appeared "moralitas" - referring to customs or character. Analyzing the etymological content of these two terms (“moralitas” and “ethicos”), one should note the coincidence of their meanings.

Many people know that such concepts as "morality" and ethics "are close in meaning, just as often they are considered interchangeable. Many use these concepts as extensions of each other. Ethics is first of all a philosophical direction that studies questions of morality. Often the expression "ethics" is used to refer to specific moral principles, traditions, customs that exist among the subjects of a limited group of society. The Kantian system considers the word morality, using it to denote the concept of duty, principles of behavior and obligations. The word "ethics" uses Aristotle's system of reasoning to denote virtue, the inseparability of moral and practical considerations.

The concept of morality as a system of principles forms a set of rules that are based on many years of practice and allows a person to determine the style of behavior in society. Ethics is also a section of philosophy and theoretical substantiation of these principles. In the modern world, the concept of ethics has retained its original designation as a science in the ranks of philosophy that studies human properties, real phenomena, rules and norms, which are the norms of morality in society.

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The role of morality in society

Introduction

morality moral behavior

Conscience, honesty, kindness... Concepts that have always meant so much to a person. Without them, the concept of morality and the moral ideal is inconceivable. At all times, the people above all valued fidelity to duty, love for the Motherland, spiritual purity and disinterested help. Man has traveled a long and extremely difficult path in his spiritual development. However, the highest expression of the development of the human spirit has always been primarily moral consciousness in its most humanistic, historically progressive manifestations. In other words, the historical formation of a personality can also be considered as the formation of its moral consciousness - a specific and unique way for a person to understand his place in the world, in society, his relations with other people.

What is the nature of morality and what is the essence of human moral quest? What is the essence of true humanity? These questions arose especially sharply in the 20th century, but the desire to answer them has been known to mankind since very ancient times.

Thus, in my work, I set myself the goal of finding out what morality is from different points of view, as well as determining the role of morality in human life and society.

1. Why morality is needed

The word "morality" (from the Latin mos, mores - temper, manners, customs) in modern language means the same as the word "morality". Therefore, most experts do not make a strict distinction between morality and morality and consider these words to be synonymous.

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 the power of state power, then morality relies on persuasion, 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 assimilates these mores, traditional forms of behavior that become a habit, become the property of the spiritual world of the individual.

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

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 the most necessary conditions for the formation and self-affirmation of the 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 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 this 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.

2. Religious morality

The concept of religious morality is encountered quite often in our life. This concept has long been accustomed to, it is widely used by scientists, publicists, writers and propagandists.

Most often, “religious morality” is understood as a system of moral concepts, norms, values, which are justified by religious ideas and ideas.

The most expansive interpretation of "religious morality" comes down to the fact that it is generally understood as the moral consciousness of the believer. So, V.N. Sherdakov, for example, notes: “Religion in the full sense of the word organically includes the doctrine of how one should live, what is considered good and what is evil; Morality is an essential aspect of any religion." But after all, religious motives do not always stand behind the actions, intentions, and thoughts of a believer. Therefore, I agree with the opinion of many scientists that the closeness of morality and religion in terms of a number of external signs does not yet give full grounds for talking about the advisability of using the concept of “religious morality” in scientific and propaganda literature as internally logical and theoretically adequately reflecting a well-known phenomenon.

In order to better understand the meaning of the interpretation of "religious morality", let's try to find out the meaning of "religious commandment" and "morality".

Religious precepts require the believer to consider only external expediency, which act as motives for religious behavior. It is clear that this kind of motivation is contrary to the very spirit of morality. Thus, the attitude towards goodness in religion seems to be very contradictory. On the one hand, good is declared the highest value, and good is done for its own sake. And this is an involuntary step towards morality, its involuntary half-recognition, which, however, cannot be recognized as a religion in its entirety, since then there would be no place left for religion itself.

In morality, in the specific nature of the motivation for following the moral norm, the originality of the moral moment itself lies.

Thus, the conditionality of the so-called "religious-moral" norm by the idea of God, the supernatural sanction of "religious morality" deprives it of its proper moral content. “Therefore, one should agree with the opinion of V.V. Klochkov that "the norms that are usually considered in our atheistic literature as "religious and moral" are actually specifically religious norms." In other words, we are talking that the same social relations can be regulated various types social norms, each of which affects them in its own, unique ways.

Sanctions and criteria of religious and moral norms differ, as well as incentives for their implementation. Justification of the legitimacy of the use of the concept of "religious morality" cannot be based only on a statement of a number of features of external similarity between morality and religion. “The concept of “religious morality” cannot be considered successful, because it mixes what should be different. It is no coincidence that G.V. Plekhanov took the concept of “religious morality” in quotation marks, and A. Bebel argued that “morality has absolutely nothing to do with either Christianity or religion in general.”

3. Moral aspects of social behavior and personality activity

On the basis of a combination of a number of features, it makes sense to distinguish between social and individual behavior, on the one hand, and social and antisocial, on the other. In the first case, the external sign of social behavior is its mass character, a kind of multi-subjectivity. But that's only outward sign. The main thing is that the term "public" indicates the attitude to social norms, customs, traditions, system of values. In the second case, the term "public", as well as "anti-social", indicates the compliance or non-compliance of behavior with objectively existing systems of norms, values, i.e. taken in the positive or negative sense of the word. Thus, social behavior is understood as such typical mass human actions that are characterized by social significance, their relation to social institutions, norms, moral values and at the same time due to certain economic, political and other social motives.

If we focus on the dependence of the general on the individual, then here, first of all, the indispensable dependence between the practical actions of individuals and their consciousness or its substructures: knowledge, beliefs, feelings, habits is striking. Behavior is made up of actions, although this is true only in the most general theoretical sense. As regards mass behavior, it can be regarded as one of the essential features of a concrete historical way of life.

Quite often divide and contrast means social control and the mechanisms of the internal self-consciousness of individuals on the grounds that the former are external in relation to the self-determination of a person, fetter his freedom and provide only adaptive behavior. Such a situation exists, but it is not universal, especially in a socialist society.

As for the social activity of the individual, it is specific property forms of motion of matter; on the one hand, it is a generic concept in relation to activity, on the other hand, it means a measure of the intensity of social activity, a measure of its real implementation.

Extremely important condition qualitative assessment social activity is its focus. From an ethical point of view, this can be a collectivist or individualistic orientation, which is at the same time the most common characteristic social behavior and its subjects.

In general, the moral stimuli of the social and political activity of the masses, of course, are: consciousness of public duty, a sense of responsibility, faith in justice.

Conclusion

“... Morality,” the German thinker wrote, “in fact, there is a doctrine not about how we should make ourselves happy, but about how we should become worthy of happiness.”

I agree with this saying and understand that in order to achieve happiness, not only knowledge is necessary, but also will, strong character, high ideals and noble feelings. It is necessary not only to understand, not only to know the rules of conduct, but also to be able, to want, to dare to follow them, that is, to have what practical life gives, and not just “practical philosophy”. Morality is only a part of life, and not the whole of life, but each part is important, especially if it is a necessary part, without which the harmonious activity of the whole is impossible. And morality is just such a part.

List of used literature

1. Blyumkin V.A. Ethics and life. - M.: Politizdat, 1987. - 111s.

2. Bogolyubov L.N. Man and society. - 7th ed. - M.: Enlightenment, 2001. - 414 p.

3. Golovko N.A. Morality: consciousness and behavior. - M.: Nauka, 1986. - 208s.

4. Kuchinsky S.A. The man is moral. - 2nd ed. - M.: Politizdat, 1987. - 303 p.

5. Prokhorov A.M. Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1974. - 615s.

1 Blyumkin V.A. Ethics and life. M.1987.p.17.

1 Blyumkin V.A. Ethics and life. M.1987.p.19.

2 Golovko N.A. Morality: consciousness and behavior. M.1986.p.156.

1 Kuchinsky S.A. The man is moral. M.1989.s.83

2 Kuchinsky S.A. The man is moral. M.1989.s.87

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What role does morality play in society? Morality and law as the basis for the formation of civil society

How is morality formed?

Signs of morality

Functions of morality

What science studies morality?

How was morality formed in a historical context?

Finally

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

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