Morality in modern society. Morality and its role in society

Good manners

One of the basic principles modern life is the maintenance of normal relations between people and the desire to avoid conflicts. In turn, respect and attention can be earned only with respect for courtesy and restraint. Therefore, nothing is valued by the people around us as dearly as politeness and delicacy. But in life we ​​often have to deal with rudeness, harshness, disrespect for the personality of another person. The reason here is that we underestimate the culture of human behavior, his manners.

Manners - a way to behave, an external form of behavior, treatment of other people, expressions used in speech, tone, intonation, gait, gesticulation and even facial expressions characteristic of a person.

In society, modesty and restraint of a person, the ability to control one's actions, to communicate carefully and tactfully with other people are considered good manners. It is customary to consider bad manners habits of speaking loudly, not embarrassed in expressions, swagger in gestures and behavior, slovenliness in clothes, rudeness, manifested in frank hostility to others, in disregard for other people's interests and requests, in shamelessly imposing one's will and desires on other people, in the inability to restrain one's irritation, in the deliberate insult to the dignity of the people around, in tactlessness, foul language, the use of humiliating nicknames.

Manners refer to the culture of human behavior and are regulated by etiquette. Etiquette implies a benevolent and respectful attitude towards all people, regardless of their position and social status. It includes courteous treatment of a woman, respectful attitude towards elders, forms of addressing elders, forms of address and greetings, rules of conversation, table manners. In general, etiquette in a civilized society coincides with general requirements courtesy, which are based on the principles of humanism.

A prerequisite for communication is delicacy. Delicacy should not be excessive, turn into flattery, lead to unjustified praise of what is seen or heard. It is not necessary to hide hard that you are seeing something for the first time, listening to it, tasting it, fearing that otherwise you will be considered ignorant.

Politeness

Everyone knows the expressions: “cold politeness”, “icy politeness”, “contemptuous politeness”, in which epithets added to this wonderful human quality not only kill its essence, but turn it into its opposite.

Emerson defines politeness as "the sum of small sacrifices" that we make to those around us with whom we enter into certain life relationships.

Unfortunately, the beautiful statement of Cervantes is completely erased: “Nothing costs so little and is not valued so dearly as politeness.” True politeness can only be benevolent, since it is one of the manifestations of sincere, disinterested benevolence towards all other people with whom a person has to meet at work, in the house where he lives, in public places. With workmates, with many acquaintances in everyday life, politeness can turn into friendship, but organic benevolence towards people in general is an obligatory basis for politeness. A true culture of behavior is where a person's actions in all situations, their content and external manifestation follow from the moral principles of morality and correspond to them.

One of the main elements of politeness is the ability to remember names. Here is how D. Carnega talks about it. “Most people do not remember names because they do not want to spend time and energy focusing, solidifying, indelibly imprinting these names in their memory. They look for excuses for being too busy. However, they are hardly more busy than Franklin Roosevelt, and he found time to remember and, on occasion, even recall the names of mechanics with whom he had come into contact ... F. Roosevelt knew that one of the simplest, most intelligible and most effective ways to win the favor of others is to remember their names and instill in them the consciousness of their own significance.

Tact and sensitivity

Tact and sensitivity The content of these two noble human qualities, attention, deep respect for the inner world of those with whom we communicate, the desire and ability to understand them, to feel what can give them pleasure, joy, or vice versa, cause them irritation, annoyance, resentment . Tact, sensitivity is also a sense of proportion that should be observed in conversation, in personal and official relationships, the ability to feel the boundary beyond which, as a result of our words and actions, a person experiences undeserved resentment, grief, and sometimes pain. A tactful person always takes into account specific circumstances: the difference in age, gender, social status, the place of conversation, the presence or absence of strangers.

Respect for others is a prerequisite for tact, even between good comrades. You probably had to deal with a situation when at a meeting someone casually throws “nonsense”, “nonsense”, etc. during the speeches of his comrades. Such behavior often becomes the reason that when he himself begins to speak out, even his sound judgments are met with a chill by the audience. They say about such people: “Nature has given him so much respect for people that he only needs it for himself.” Self-respect without respect for others inevitably degenerates into self-conceit, swagger, arrogance.

The culture of behavior is equally obligatory on the part of the lower in relation to the higher. It is expressed primarily in an honest attitude to one's duties, in strict discipline, as well as in respect, courtesy, tact in relation to the leader. The same is true for colleagues. Demanding a respectful attitude towards yourself, ask yourself the question more often: do you answer them the same way.

Tact, sensitivity also imply the ability to quickly and accurately determine the reaction of interlocutors to our statement, actions and in necessary cases self-critically, without a sense of false shame, to apologize for the mistake made. This will not only not lower your dignity, but, on the contrary, will strengthen it in the opinion of thinking people, showing them your extremely valuable human trait - modesty.

2.4 Modesty.“A person who speaks only about himself, only about himself and thinks, says D. Carnegie. “A person who thinks only of himself is hopelessly uncivilized. He is uncultured, no matter how highly educated he may be.”

A modest person never strives to show himself better, more capable, smarter than others, does not emphasize his superiority, his qualities, does not require any privileges, special amenities, services for himself.

However, modesty should not be associated with either timidity or shyness. It's perfect various categories. Very often, modest people are much firmer and more active in critical circumstances, but at the same time, it is known that it is impossible to convince them that they are right by arguing.

D. Carnegie writes: “You can make it clear to a person that he is wrong with a look, intonation or gesture no less eloquently than with words, but if you tell him that he is wrong, will you make him thereby agree with you ? Never! For you dealt a direct blow to his intellect, his common sense, his pride and self-respect. It will only make him want to strike back, not change his mind." The following fact is cited: during his stay in the White House, T. Roosevelt once admitted that if he had been right in seventy-five cases of a hundred, he could not have wished for anything better. “If this was the maximum that one of the most prominent people twentieth century, what can be said about you and me?” - asks D. Carnegie and concludes: "If you cannot be sure that you are right at least in fifty-five cases out of a hundred, then why do you need to tell others that they are wrong."

Indeed, you have probably witnessed how a third person, watching the raging debaters, can end the misunderstanding with a friendly, tactful remark, a sympathetic desire to understand the point of view of both debaters.

You should never start with the statement "I will prove to you so-and-so." This is tantamount, psychologists say, to saying: "I'm smarter than you, I'm going to tell you something and make you change your mind." It's a challenge. This generates internal resistance in your interlocutor and a desire to fight with you before you start an argument.

In order to prove something, it is necessary to do it so subtly, so skillfully, that no one would feel it.

D. Carnegie considers the following to be one of the golden rules: “People must be taught as if you had not taught them. And present unfamiliar things as forgotten. Calmness, diplomacy, a deep understanding of the interlocutor's argumentation, well-thought-out counter-argumentation based on accurate facts - this is the solution to this contradiction between the requirements of "good manners" in discussions and firmness in defending one's opinion.

In our time, almost everywhere there is a desire to simplify many of the conventions prescribed by general civil etiquette. This is one of the signs of the times: the pace of life that has changed, and the social conditions that continue to change rapidly, has a strong influence on etiquette. Therefore, a lot of what was accepted at the beginning or middle of our century may now seem absurd. However, the main best traditions of general civil etiquette, even having changed in form, remain to live in their own spirit. Ease, naturalness, a sense of proportion, politeness, tact, and, most importantly, benevolence towards people - these are the qualities that will help you in any life situations, even when you are not familiar with any small rules of civil etiquette, of which there are a great many on Earth.

2.morality(or morality) is called the system of norms, ideals, principles accepted in society and its expression in real life of people.

Morality is studied by a special philosophical science - ethics.

Morality as a whole manifests itself in understanding the opposition of good and evil. Good understood as the most important personal and public value and correlates with a person's attraction to maintaining the unity of interpersonal relationships and achieving moral perfection. Good is the desire for harmonious integrity both in relations between people and in the inner world of the individual. If good is constructive, then evil- this is everything that destroys interpersonal ties and decomposes the inner world of a person.

All norms, ideals, prescriptions of morality are aimed at maintaining good and distracting a person from evil. When a person realizes the requirements of maintaining goodness as his personal task, we can say that he is aware of his duty - obligations to society. The fulfillment of duty is controlled externally - by public opinion, and internally - by conscience. Thus, conscience there is a personal awareness of one's duty.

A person is free in moral activity - he is free to choose or not to choose the path of following the requirements of duty. This freedom of man, his ability to choose between good and evil is called moral choice. In practice, moral choice is not an easy task: it is often very difficult to make a choice between debt and personal inclinations (for example, to donate money to an orphanage). The choice becomes even more difficult if different types of debt contradict each other (for example, the doctor must save the life of the patient and relieve him of pain; sometimes both are incompatible). For the consequences of a moral choice, a person is responsible to society and to himself (his conscience).

Summarizing these features of morality, we can distinguish the following of its functions:

§ appraisal - consideration of actions in the coordinates of good and evil

§ (as good, bad, moral or immoral);

§ regulatory- establishment of norms, principles, rules of conduct;

§ controlling - control over the implementation of norms based on public condemnation and / or the conscience of the person himself;

§ integrating - maintaining the unity of humanity and integrity spiritual world person;

§ educational- formation of virtues and abilities of correct and justified moral choice.

An important difference between ethics and other sciences follows from the definition of morality and its functions. If any science is interested in what there is in reality, ethics is that should be. Most scientific reasoning describes the facts(for example, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius"), and ethics prescribes norms or evaluates actions(for example, "You must keep a promise" or "Betrayal is evil").

The specificity of moral standards

Moral standards are different from customs and legal regulations.

Customs - is a historically formed stereotype of mass behavior in specific situation. Customs differ from moral norms:

§ following the custom implies unquestioning and literal obedience to its requirements, while moral norms imply meaningful and free person's choice;

§ Customs are different for different peoples, epochs, social groups, while morality is universal - it sets general rules for all mankind;

§ the observance of customs is often based on habit and fear of the disapproval of others, and morality is based on a feeling debt and supported by the feeling shame and remorse conscience.

Right - it is a system of legal norms that have a generally binding character. Rules of law differ from moral norms in a number of ways:

§ law is sanctioned by the state, while morality is based on personal conviction and public opinion;

§ legal norms are binding, while moral norms optional(although desirable) for execution;

§ legal norms are documented in laws, constitutions, etc., while moral norms can be unwritten and passed down orally from generation to generation;

§ for failure to comply with legal norms, administrative or criminal liability follows (for example, a fine or restriction of freedom), and moral sanctions are expressed in public disapproval and pangs of conscience.

Some moral norms may coincide in form with legal norms. For example, the norm “do not steal”. You can ask the question: "Why does a person refuse to steal?" If because of the fear of the court, then the motive is not moral, if from the conviction that theft is bad, then the act is based on moral grounds. In some situations, law and morality conflict, and what a person considers his moral duty is a violation of the law (for example, someone steals a medicine to save the life of a loved one).

In its early stages, moral rule-making was closely associated with religion, which derives morality from divine revelation, and treats non-fulfillment of norms as sin. All religions offer a set of moral precepts that are binding on all believers.

There are no disagreements about moral norms in different religions: murder, theft, lying, adultery are considered reprehensible in all three world religions.

The role of morality in human life and society

Thanks to the ability of an individual and society to subject all sides to moral evaluation public life- economic, political, spiritual, etc., as well as to give a moral justification for economic, political, religious, scientific, aesthetic and other goals, morality is included in all spheres of public life.

In life, there are norms and rules of conduct that require a person to serve society. Their emergence and existence is dictated by the objective necessity of the joint, collective life of people. Thus, it can be said that the very mode of human existence necessarily gives rise to people's need for each other.

Morality operates in society as a combination of three structural elements: moral activity, moral relations and moral consciousness.

Before revealing the main functions of morality, let us emphasize a number of features of the actions of morality in society. It should be noted that a certain stereotype, pattern, algorithm of human behavior is expressed in the moral consciousness, which is recognized by society as optimal at this historical moment. The existence of morality can be interpreted as the recognition by society of the simple fact that the life and interests of an individual are guaranteed only if the strong unity of society as a whole is ensured. Thus, morality can be considered a manifestation of the collective will of people, which, through a system of requirements, assessments, rules, tries to reconcile the interests of individual individuals with each other and with the interests of society as a whole.

Unlike other manifestations of the spiritual life of society (science, art, religion) morality is not a sphere of organized activity. Simply put, there are no institutions in society that would ensure the functioning and development of morality. And therefore, probably, it is impossible to control the development of morality in the usual sense of the word (as it is to control science, religion, etc.). If we invest certain funds in the development of science, art, then after some time we have the right to expect tangible results; in the case of morality this is impossible. Morality is all-encompassing and at the same time elusive.

Moral requirements and assessments permeate all areas human life and activities.

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 . People have long been convinced that the strict observance of moral rules does not always lead to success in life, nevertheless, morality continues to insist on strict observance of its requirements. This phenomenon can be explained in only one way: only on the scale of the whole society, in the total result, the fulfillment of one or another moral prescription acquires its full meaning and responds to a social need.

Functions of morality

Consider social role morality, i.e. its main functions:

§ regulatory;

§ estimated;

§ educational.

Regulatory function

One of the main functions of morality is regulatory. Morality acts primarily as a way of regulating the behavior of people in society and self-regulating the behavior of the individual. As society has evolved, it has invented many other ways to regulate public relations: legal, administrative, technical, etc. However, the moral mode of regulation continues to be unique. Firstly, because it does not need organizational support in the form of various institutions, punitive bodies, etc. Secondly, because moral regulation is carried out mainly through 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 extent to which they have become the inner conviction of an individual, an integral part of his spiritual world, a mechanism for motivating his command.

Evaluation function

Another function of morality is estimated. Morality considers the world, phenomena and processes from the point of view of their humanistic potential- the extent to which they contribute to the unification of people, their development. Accordingly, she classifies everything as positive or negative, good or evil. The moral evaluative attitude to reality is its comprehension in terms of good and evil, as well as other concepts adjacent to them or derived from them (“justice” and “injustice”, “honor” and “disgrace”, “nobility” and “baseness” and etc.). At the same time, the specific form of expressing a moral assessment can be different: praise, agreement, censure, criticism, expressed in value judgments; expression of approval or disapproval. A moral assessment of reality puts a person in an active, active attitude towards it. Assessing the world, we are already changing something in it, namely, changing our attitude to the world, our position.

educational function

In the life of society, morality performs the most important task of shaping the personality, it is an effective means of education. Concentrating the moral experience of mankind, morality makes it the property of each new generation of people. This is her educational function. Morality permeates all types of education insofar as it gives them the correct social orientation through moral ideals and goals, which ensures a harmonious combination of personal and social interests. Morality considers social ties as ties between people, each of which has a value in itself. It focuses on such actions that, while expressing the will of a given person, do not at the same time trample on the will of other people. Morality teaches to do every thing in such a way that it does not hurt other people.

5. The phrase "ethics of service relations" has become especially popular in last years when any professional activity considered primarily from the standpoint of expediency. Under these conditions, a healthy psychological climate within the team is considered from the point of view of its impact on work efficiency, and as a result, a partly tacit, partly quite formal set of requirements and wishes has been developed, what should be the relationship between colleagues.

What is good at work

In general, the specificity of the "ethics" of service relations is determined mainly by prohibitive points, that is, an indication of what is impossible or undesirable to do. In the same part, with regard to “good” behavior in a team, the area of ​​​​service relations is not much different from the general rules of decency, good manners and respect for others. For example, all "instructions" on "ethics of service relations" begin with two postulates - you need to smile at people and you need to greet people. Of course, in this one feels the solid experience of European and American business psychology, in which a smile and a greeting are cornerstones. Any office worker, businessman and worker in the West must instinctively remember that in dealing with people he must be polite and smile. Real emotions and attitude towards a person do not matter, business is business.

In addition, great attention in official relations is paid to the art of communication. In this case, it does not matter whether the conversation is between colleagues, between a boss and a subordinate, between an employee and a client, or an outsider: in business communication it is necessary to be kind, polite, answer the questions asked as correctly as possible, listen carefully to the interlocutor. The third pillar on which the "ethics" of service relations rests is the adherence to intra-corporate standards of relations. Does not exist general rule whether the subordinate should knock on the door of the boss's office every time - this is set individually in each team. Just as there is no general rule as to whether colleagues have the right to address each other as "you", this is a matter of personal contact, and, when it comes to communication in the presence of strangers, also of official discipline. There is no universal tradition corporate holidays or congratulations to employees on their birthday - in some cases, congratulations are limited to a formal greeting of colleagues and management, in some cases it is accompanied only by the presentation of a gift, in some cases, a noisy and lengthy banquet.

And what is "bad" at work

But when the sphere begins where it is “impossible”, “forbidden”, “not desirable”, “not correct”, “contradicts the company's policy”, then the features of the “ethics” of service relations are revealed. And before all prohibitions and taboos, ahead of even "no-no" in relation to romance, there is the extreme undesirability of discussing personal matters, problems, news and other information that does not relate to professional issues in the workplace. The ideal of the Western "ethics" of service relations (and in modern form the Western model is most often taken as the basis) is a system of service relations, within which the personal life of colleagues is generally not discussed in any way and does not affect the work process. First of all, this affects the area of ​​"general" ethics, which seeks to protect the privacy of a person from all kinds of encroachments from the outside. However, there is another point here: the discussion of personal problems is the favorite and most exciting topic for conversation for any person; so there is a very high risk that the discussion personal life their own or colleagues (which is most often), employees have less and less time to perform work duties. The issue of relationships between colleagues of different sexes is a sphere of collision of two trends: on the one hand, these are general ethical requirements for increased attention to a woman, for showing such signs of attention, like opening doors in front of a woman, letting her go forward, giving her a “seat” and so on. On the other hand, the successes of feminism were not in vain and touched, first of all, the sphere of service relations, where a woman most actively sought equality. in the USA and Western Europe Increasingly, traditional courtesies towards women are seen as gender discrimination and even as sexual harassment. Office romances and flirting at work in general in the modern "ethics" of office relations are under a very strict ban, at least officially. However, this prohibition is often violated in one way or another, albeit only in the form of flirting. However, other provisions on the relationship between colleagues often remain only a formality. This is especially true in the part that concerns the behavior of the boss. Modern business standards state that executive worker should be polite in relations with subordinates, should not overemphasize the distance in communication and, for example, always require a subordinate to stand in his office, and should also respond positively to objective criticism and in no case persecute for it. But in real life, there are still very few leaders who, to one degree or another, correspond to this “bright image”; and a leader who adequately responds to criticism from his subordinates is a curiosity at all.

Manager Ethics

Ethics- This one of the oldest theoretical disciplines, the object of study of which is morality . The basis of this subject was laid by Aristotle, who introduced this term.
business ethics is not reduced only to the concept of morality and is a tool with which the manager makes his decisions. Unfortunately, in our country, business ethics is considered only as a set of moral principles, the possibility of applying which in practice is not being studied. In Russia manager ethics is understood primarily as the rules of conduct for a manager in a business environment ( Business Etiquette ).

AT Western countries ethics is clearly divided into etiquette and managerial(applied) ethics.
Ethics of manager behavior considered from the point of view of the moral aspects of various management functions, such as marketing, personnel management, providing professional services, interaction with contractors and competitors, mergers and acquisitions of firms, etc.
Business ethics involves a difficult choice of decisions justified from the point of view of morality and following the goals of the activity. It should be emphasized that ethical behavior is not established by law. Business ethics is based on satisfying the interests of the maximum number of market participants and respecting the interests of both your company and the interests of partners. Ethics manager in relation to competitors involves the use of only "pure" methods of struggle.
Levels of Management Ethics:
1. World-class - implementation by the manager of his work functions on the basis of universal human values, fixed in the "principles of international business" - the World Code of Ethics, adopted in 1994 in Switzerland.
These principles include:

1. social responsibility to the employees of the enterprise (creating for them favorable conditions jobs), shareholders, customers and the general public;

2. modernization of technologies, marketing and communications;

3. increasing confidence in business;

4. respect for the law and compliance with legal norms;

5. supremacy of moral values ​​in all activities of firms;

6. support and assistance in the development of international trade;

7. environmental protection.

Compliance of the activities of enterprises with these standards is a priority in relation to national and corporate codes and rules,
2. macro level - implementation of moral principles in accordance with the industry or national code of business ethics, including respect for private property and free competition, the provision of reliable information and non-discrimination in the labor market.
3. Micro level - implementation of moral norms within an individual enterprise, its partners and competitors (no discrimination in relations with suppliers and buyers, employees of the enterprise and its management, managers, investors and shareholders). The micro level involves the solution of ethical problems of a particular nature.
In the event that a question arises in

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Violence and Contract are two sides of the same Medal of Life. The symbol of Aquarius has two lightning bolts: Violence and Contract. But grandfather chooses the path of the Treaty. Someone chooses the path of Violence. That's life

II. Bibliographic indexes. 1. Dostoevskaya A. G. Bibliographic index of works and works of art relating to the life and work of Dostoevsky

II. Formation and approval of the competence and legal personality of a person and a citizen, political and legal aspects of the study

Thanks to the ability of a person and society to subject to moral assessment all aspects of public life - economic, political, spiritual, etc., as well as to provide a moral justification for economic, political, religious, scientific, aesthetic and other goals, morality is included in all spheres of public life .

In life, there are norms and rules of conduct that require a person to serve society. Their emergence and existence is dictated by the objective necessity of the joint, collective life of people. Thus, it can be said that the very mode of human existence necessarily gives rise to people's need for each other.

Morality operates in society as a combination of three structural elements: moral activity, moral relations and moral consciousness.

Before revealing the main functions of morality, let us emphasize a number of features of the actions of morality in society. It should be noted that a certain stereotype, pattern, algorithm of human behavior is expressed in the moral consciousness, which is recognized by society as optimal at this historical moment. The existence of morality can be interpreted as the recognition by society of the simple fact that the life and interests of an individual are guaranteed only if the strong unity of society as a whole is ensured. Thus, morality can be considered a manifestation of the collective will of people, which, through a system of requirements, assessments, rules, tries to reconcile the interests of individual individuals with each other and with the interests of society as a whole.

Unlike other manifestations of the spiritual life of society (science, art, religion), morality is not a sphere of organized activity. Simply put, there are no institutions in society that would ensure the functioning and development of morality. And therefore, probably, it is impossible to control the development of morality in the usual sense of the word (as it is to control science, religion, etc.). If we invest certain funds in the development of science, art, then after some time we have the right to expect tangible results; in the case of morality this is impossible. Morality is all-encompassing and at the same time elusive.

Moral requirements and assessments penetrate into all spheres of human life and activity.

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), i.e., it has the form of an imperative - direct and unconditional commands. People have long been convinced that the strict observance of moral rules does not always lead to success in life, nevertheless, morality continues to insist on strict observance of its requirements. This phenomenon can be explained in only one way: only on the scale of the whole society, in the total result, the fulfillment of one or another moral prescription acquires its full meaning and meets a certain social need.

Morality (or morality) is the system of norms, ideals, principles accepted in society and its expression in the real life of people.

Morality studies a special philosophical science - ethics.

Morality as a whole manifests itself in understanding the opposition of good and evil. Kindness is understood as the most important personal and social value and correlates with a person's desire to maintain the unity of interpersonal relationships and achieve moral perfection. Good is the desire for harmonious integrity both in relations between people and in the inner world of the individual. If good is creative, then evil is everything that destroys interpersonal ties and decomposes the inner world of a person.

All norms, ideals, prescriptions of morality are aimed at maintaining good and distracting a person from evil. When a person realizes the requirements of maintaining goodness as his personal task, we can say that he is aware of his duty - obligations to society. The fulfillment of duty is controlled externally - by public opinion, and internally - by conscience. Thus, conscience is a personal awareness of one's duty Drobnitsky O.G. The concept of morality. Historical and critical essay. M .: Publishing house "Nauka", 2007. - C.34 ..

A person is free in moral activity - he is free to choose or not to choose the path of following the requirements of duty. This freedom of man, his ability to choose between good and evil is called moral choice. In practice, moral choice is not an easy task: it is often very difficult to make a choice between debt and personal inclinations (for example, to donate money to an orphanage). The choice becomes even more difficult if different types of debt contradict each other (for example, the doctor must save the life of the patient and relieve him of pain; sometimes both are incompatible). For the consequences of a moral choice, a person is responsible to society and to himself (his conscience).

Summarizing these features of morality, we can distinguish the following of its functions:

• - evaluative - consideration of actions in the coordinates of good and evil
• - (as good, bad, moral or immoral);
• - regulatory - the establishment of norms, principles, rules of conduct;
• - controlling - control over the implementation of norms on the basis of public condemnation and / or the conscience of the person himself;
• - integrating - maintaining the unity of mankind and the integrity of the spiritual world of man;
• - educational - the formation of virtues and abilities of a correct and justified moral choice.

An important difference between ethics and other sciences follows from the definition of morality and its functions. If any science is interested in what is in reality, then ethics is interested in what should be. Most scientific reasoning describes facts (for example, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius"), while ethics prescribes norms or evaluates actions (for example, "You must keep a promise" or "Betrayal is evil").

Moral norms are different from customs and legal norms.

Customs are a historically formed stereotype of mass behavior in a particular situation. Customs differ from moral norms:

• - following the custom implies unquestioning and literal obedience to its requirements, while moral norms imply a meaningful and free choice of a person;
• - customs are different for different peoples, eras, social groups, while morality is universal - it sets the general norms for all mankind;
• - the implementation of customs is often based on habit and fear of the disapproval of others, and morality is based on a sense of duty and is supported by a sense of shame and remorse.

Law is a system of legal norms that are generally binding. Rules of law differ from moral norms in a number of ways:

• - the law is sanctioned by the state, and morality is based on personal conviction and public opinion;
• - legal norms are binding, while moral norms are optional (although desirable) for execution;
• - legal norms are documented in laws, constitutions, etc., while moral norms can be unwritten and orally transmitted from generation to generation;
• - for non-compliance with legal norms, administrative or criminal liability follows (for example, a fine or restriction of freedom), and moral sanctions are expressed in public disapproval and pangs of conscience.

Some moral norms may coincide in form with legal norms. For example, the norm "do not steal". You can ask the question: "Why does a person refuse to steal?" If because of the fear of the court, then the motive is not moral, if from the conviction that theft is bad, then the act is based on moral grounds. In some situations, law and morality conflict, and what a person considers his moral duty is a violation of the law (for example, someone steals a medicine to save the life of a loved one).

In its early stages, moral rule-making was closely associated with religion, which derives morality from divine revelation, and treats non-fulfillment of norms as a sin. All religions offer a set of moral precepts that are mandatory for all believers Drobnitsky O.G. The concept of morality. Historical and critical essay. M.: Publishing house "Nauka", 2007. - C.40..

There are no disagreements about moral norms in different religions: murder, theft, lying, adultery are considered reprehensible in all three world religions.

Thanks to the ability of a person and society to subject to moral assessment all aspects of social life - economic, political, spiritual, etc., as well as to provide a moral justification for economic, political, religious, scientific, aesthetic and other goals, morality is included in all spheres of public life.

In life, there are norms and rules of conduct that require a person to serve society. Their emergence and existence is dictated by the objective necessity of the joint, collective life of people. Thus, it can be said that the very mode of human existence necessarily gives rise to people's need for each other.

Morality operates in society as a combination of three structural elements: moral activity, moral relations and moral consciousness.

Before revealing the main functions of morality, let us emphasize a number of features of the actions of morality in society. It should be noted that a certain stereotype, pattern, algorithm of human behavior is expressed in the moral consciousness, which is recognized by society as optimal at this historical moment. The existence of morality can be interpreted as the recognition by society of the simple fact that the life and interests of an individual are guaranteed only if the strong unity of society as a whole is ensured. Thus, morality can be considered a manifestation of the collective will of people, which, through a system of requirements, assessments, rules, tries to reconcile the interests of individual individuals with each other and with the interests of society as a whole.

Unlike other manifestations of the spiritual life of society (science, art, religion), morality is not a sphere of organized activity. Simply put, there are no institutions in society that would ensure the functioning and development of morality. And therefore, probably, it is impossible to control the development of morality in the usual sense of the word (as it is to control science, religion, etc.). If we invest certain funds in the development of science, art, then after some time we have the right to expect tangible results; in the case of morality this is impossible. Morality is all-encompassing and at the same time elusive.

Moral requirements and assessments penetrate into all spheres of human life and activity.

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 . People have long been convinced that the strict observance of moral rules does not always lead to success in life, however, morality continues to insist on strict observance of its requirements. This phenomenon can be explained in only one way: only on the scale of the whole society, in the total result, the fulfillment of this or that moral prescription acquires its full meaning and meets a certain social need.

Consider the social role of morality, i.e. its main functions Khropanyuk V.N. Theory of State and Law: Textbook. M., 2008. - P. 45 .:

• - regulatory;
• - appraisal;
• - educational.

One of the main functions of morality is regulatory. Morality acts, first of all, as a way of regulating the behavior of people in society and self-regulating the behavior of the individual. As society developed, it invented many other ways of regulating social relations: legal, administrative, technical, and so on. However, the moral mode of regulation continues to be unique. Firstly, because it does not need organizational support in the form of various institutions, punitive bodies, etc. Secondly, because moral regulation is carried out mainly through 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 extent to which they have become the inner conviction of an individual, an integral part of his spiritual world, a mechanism for motivating his command.

Another function of morality is evaluative. Morality considers the world, phenomena and processes from the point of view of their humanistic potential - the extent to which they contribute to the unification of people, their development. Accordingly, she classifies everything as positive or negative, good or evil. The moral evaluative attitude to reality is its comprehension in terms of good and evil, as well as other concepts adjacent to them or derived from them ("justice" and "injustice", "honor" and "disgrace", "nobility" and "baseness" and etc.). At the same time, the specific form of expressing a moral assessment can be different: praise, agreement, censure, criticism, expressed in value judgments; expression of approval or disapproval. A moral assessment of reality puts a person in an active, active attitude towards it. Assessing the world, we are already changing something in it, namely, changing our attitude to the world, our position.

In the life of society, morality performs the most important task of shaping the personality, it is an effective means of education. Concentrating the moral experience of mankind, morality makes it the property of each new generation of people. This is its educational function. Morality permeates all types of education insofar as it gives them the correct social orientation through moral ideals and goals, which ensures a harmonious combination of personal and social interests. Morality considers social ties as ties between people, each of which has a value in itself. It focuses on such actions that, while expressing the will of a given person, do not at the same time trample on the will of other people. Morality teaches to do every thing in such a way that it does not hurt other people.

1.2 Relationship between law and morality

The interaction of morality and law is one of the topical topics of practical philosophy, ethics and legal theory. This topic is in the center of attention of researchers of the most diverse plan and is revealed in each era in its own way, as it occupies an important place in the system of social worldview. Modern Russian society is a dynamically developing system. The transitional state of morality and the formation of law in Russian society suggests the need for ethical analysis, understanding the interaction of morality and law as social regulators that underlie the improvement of society. The theoretical understanding of this problem can contribute both to the development of the theory of morality and the theory of law, and to increasing their role in the moral and legal education of a person, the formation civil society based on moral and legal values ​​Adorno Theodor V. Problems of moral philosophy / Translated from German. M.L. Kharkov. M.: Respublika, 2007. - P.39..

The problem of the interaction of morality and law has always been the most important scientific and practical problem in past eras, and is updated every time during crucial periods of social change. Modern Russian society can be delineated by historical and legal boundaries. On the this stage society is characterized by a transitional character: a process of reassessment of values ​​is carried out, leading to the replacement of some norms by others. The process of social transformations in all spheres of society is very dynamic. In the conditions of modernization and liberalization of Russian society, an ethical analysis of the relationship between morality and law sets the task of establishing certain moral values ​​and outlining ways to achieve a socially useful order. Ethics on present stage is socially oriented and strives in the field of scientific reflection to reflect the real processes of society, which contributes to predicting the moral life of society as a whole.

There is no doubt that the role of morality and law in people's lives has always been great, and moral and legal problems have aroused interest, but changes in social relations have led to the need to rethink the old ideas about the relationship between morality and law, which would reflect the objectivity of ongoing processes within society. The role of morality and the role of law as leading social regulators, as a means of streamlining social relations in the new Russian reality, have fundamentally changed. In modern Russian society, previously accepted moral norms and principles are being transformed in the changing conditions of life. Many moral requirements are enshrined in the law, but the mechanisms for their implementation do not work in real conditions Russian reality.

In the regulation of social relations, law interacts with morality, which embraces the moral values ​​of society.

Law and morality are characterized by both unity and difference. Their unity lies in the following Adorno Theodor V. Problems of moral philosophy. -S.45..

Law and morality are ultimately determined by the economic basis of society. Of course, this conditionality is not straightforward, because law and morality are strongly influenced by various factors: geographical, political, ethical, etc. Nevertheless, the mode of production is the inner basis on which morality and law rest. Therefore, elucidation of their nature, social significance and role in the life of society presupposes, first of all, an understanding of those economic relations in which the source of their origin and existence is rooted. If, for example, we are talking about feudal law and moral values ​​that prevail in a feudal society, then their understanding is based on understanding the economic basis of this society.

The unity of law and morality in a civilized society comes down to the affirmation of universal human values. They should contribute to their formation and strengthening. And although they realize this in different ways (morality convinces, while law compels), nevertheless, they pursue a common goal.

Their difference is as follows. First of all, they differ in the way of existence. Rules of law are contained in laws, decrees of the President Russian Federation, regulations, codes, charters, orders and other legal regulations of state bodies. Moral norms are transmitted from generation to generation in the form of generally accepted ideas about good, evil, nobility, immorality, etc. and exist in the minds of people or are embodied in works of art.

Moral norms differ from legal norms in scope. They cover a much wider area of ​​relations than legal norms. Thus, any violation of the norms of law is at the same time an immoral act, but not any encroachment on moral norms is necessarily unlawful. Moreover, many norms of law are filled with moral content, which also indicates a wider scope of moral norms. For example, such a combination is characterized by Article 7 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, according to which the state is called upon to create conditions that ensure a decent life and free development of a person. Many norms of criminal law are also connected with the principle of humanism. Such will be, for example, a rule of law that provides for criminal liability for failure to provide assistance to people who perish at sea or on another waterway Alekseev S.S. Theory of law - [electronic resource]. - Access code: http://pravo.biz.ua/content/057/0075.htm..

Many other examples can be cited from various industries current legislation, which contain the rules of law based on the moral values ​​of society.

According to the method of bringing to responsibility, the norms of law also reveal their peculiarity. Their violation implies a strictly defined procedural procedure for bringing the guilty person to legal liability. For example, criminal procedural legislation contains rules of law that regulate the procedure for bringing a person who has committed a crime to justice. They fix the procedure for initiating a criminal case, indicate the reasons and grounds for such initiation, the instances where the criminal case is sent, etc.

Violation of moral norms of such an order of bringing to responsibility does not imply.

According to the means of ensuring the difference between moral and legal norms is as follows. If the implementation of moral standards is ensured by force public opinion, then legal norms - state coercion applied by law enforcement agencies. morality right religion crime

According to the forms of responsibility, their differences lie in the fact that violation of moral norms entails the application of public censure, and the rule of law - a fine, imprisonment, confiscation of property, etc. Ageshin Yu.A. Politics, law, morality / Yu.A. Ageshin. M.: Legal Literature, 2012. -S. 45..

Philosophers argue that morality has three tasks: to evaluate, regulate and educate.

Morality puts marks. All our actions, as well as all social life (economy, politics, culture), morality evaluates from the point of view of humanism, determines whether it is good or bad, good or evil. If our actions are useful to people, contribute to the improvement of their lives, their free development - this is good, this is good. Do not contribute, hinder - evil. If we want to give a moral assessment to something (our own actions, the actions of other people, some events, etc.), we, as you know, do this with the help of the concepts of good and evil. Or with the help of other close, derivative concepts: justice - injustice; honor - dishonor; nobility, decency - meanness, dishonesty, meanness, etc. At the same time, evaluating any phenomenon, action, deed, we express our moral assessment in different ways: we praise, agree or condemn, criticize, approve or disapprove, etc. d.

Evaluation, of course, affects our practical activities, otherwise we would simply not need it. When we evaluate something as good, this means that we should strive for it, and if we evaluate it as evil, we should avoid it. This means that when evaluating the world around us, we change something in it, and above all ourselves, our position, our worldview.

Morality regulates the activities of people. The second task of morality is to regulate our life, the relationship of people to each other, to direct the activities of man, society towards humane goals, towards the achievement of good. Moral regulation has its own characteristics, it differs from state regulation. Any state also regulates the life of society, the activities of its citizens. It does this with the help of various institutions, organizations (parliaments, ministries, courts, etc.), normative documents(laws, decrees, orders), officials (officials, employees, militia, police, etc.).

Morality has nothing of the kind: it is ridiculous to have moral officials, it is pointless to ask who issued the order to be humane, just, kind, courageous, etc. Morality does not use the services of departments and officials. It regulates the movement of our life in two ways: through the opinion of the surrounding people, public opinion, and through the inner convictions of the individual, conscience.

The person is very sensitive to the opinions of others. No one is free from the opinion of society, the collective. A person is not indifferent to what others think of him. Consequently, public opinion can influence a person and regulate his behavior. Moreover, it is based not on the force of the order, the law, but on moral authority, moral influence.

But there should not be a conviction that public opinion, as the opinion of the majority, is always true, more true than the opinion of individuals. This is not true. It often happens that public opinion plays a reactionary role, protecting obsolete, obsolete norms, traditions and habits.

In the comedy Woe from Wit, Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov showed that the opinion of all these rock-toothed, famous, silent, Princess Marya Alekseevna can be a dark, gloomy force directed against all living and intelligent, that one person can be right, while all those around are in the power of prejudices, ignorance, stupidity, self-interest. “Evil tongues are worse than a gun” - these words of the great writer express his feeling of the merciless power of such public opinion and at the same time his deadly stupidity and narrow-mindedness.

Man-not a slave to circumstances. Public opinion is, of course, a great force for moral regulation. However, it should be remembered: one person can be wrong, and the majority can be wrong. A person should not be a naive lumberjack, blindly and thoughtlessly obey someone else's opinion, the pressure of circumstances. After all, he is not a soulless cog in the state machine and not a slave to social circumstances. All people are born equal, have equal rights to life, liberty and happiness. Man is a free, active, creative being, he not only adapts to the world in which he lives, but this world itself adapts to itself, changes circumstances, creates a new social environment. Without personalities, humane and courageous, just and courageous, disinterested and independently thinking, society would simply stop developing, would rot and die.

A person, living in society, must, of course, listen to public opinion, but he must also be able to correctly evaluate it. And if it is reactionary - protest, fight against it, go against it, defending truth, justice, humanism.

Inner spiritual beliefs of the individual. Where does a person take strength when he opposes outdated public opinion, against reaction, prejudices?

He takes them, as it was well said before, in his soul. A person relies on his inner spiritual convictions, that is, on his understanding of moral duty, moral ideals. The spiritual convictions of a moral person are guided by universal moral values ​​and ideals. moral man subordinates his activity, his actions, his whole life to them.

Spiritual beliefs constitute the content of what we call conscience. A person is under the constant control of others, but also under the self-control of his inner beliefs. Conscience is always with a person. Every person has in life successes and failures, periods of ups and downs. You can free yourself from failures, but never from an unclean, tarnished conscience.

And a person constantly criticizes, remakes himself, as his conscience tells him. A person finds in himself the strength and courage to speak out against evil, against reactionary public opinion - this is what conscience commands. To live according to conscience requires great personal courage, and sometimes self-sacrifice. But the conscience of a person will be pure, the soul is calm, if he acted in full accordance with his inner convictions. Such a person can be called happy.

The educational role of morality. Education always goes in two ways: on the one hand, through the influence of other people (parents, teachers, others, public opinion) on a person, through a purposeful change in the external circumstances in which the educatee is placed, and on the other hand, through the influence of a person on himself, i.e. .e. through self-education. The upbringing and education of a person continues throughout his entire life: a person constantly replenishes and improves knowledge, skills, his inner world, because life itself is constantly updated.

THE ROLE OF MORALITY IN HUMAN LIFE AND SOCIETY

Thanks to the ability of a person and society to subject to moral assessment all aspects of social life - economic, political, spiritual, etc., as well as to provide a moral justification for economic, political, religious, scientific, aesthetic and other goals, morality is included in all spheres of public life. In life, there are norms and rules of conduct that require a person to serve society. Their emergence and existence is dictated by the objective necessity of the joint, collective life of people.

Thus, it can be said that the very mode of human existence necessarily gives rise to people's need for each other. Morality operates in society as a combination of three structural elements: moral activity, moral relations and moral consciousness. Before revealing the main functions of morality, let us emphasize a number of features of the actions of morality in society. It should be noted that a certain stereotype, pattern, algorithm of human behavior is expressed in the moral consciousness, which is recognized by society as optimal at this historical moment. The existence of morality can be interpreted as the recognition by society of the simple fact that the life and interests of an individual are guaranteed only if the strong unity of society as a whole is ensured. Thus, morality can be considered a manifestation of the collective will of people, which, through a system of requirements, assessments, rules, tries to reconcile the interests of individual individuals with each other and with the interests of society as a whole.

Unlike other manifestations of the spiritual life of society (science, art, religion) morality is not a sphere of organized activity. Simply put, there are no institutions in society that would ensure the functioning and development of morality. And therefore, probably, it is impossible to control the development of morality in the usual sense of the word (as it is to control science, religion, etc.). If we invest certain funds in the development of science, art, then after some time we have the right to expect tangible results; in the case of morality this is impossible. Morality is all-encompassing and at the same time elusive.

Moral requirements and assessments penetrate into all spheres of human life and activity. 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 .

People have long been convinced that the strict observance of moral rules does not always lead to success in life, nevertheless, morality continues to insist on strict observance of its requirements. This phenomenon can be explained in only one way: only on the scale of the whole society, in the total result, the fulfillment of one or another moral prescription acquires its full meaning and responds to a social need.

Regulatory function One of the main functions of morality is regulatory. Morality acts primarily as a way of regulating the behavior of people in society and self-regulating the behavior of the individual. As society developed, it invented many other ways of regulating social relations: legal, administrative, technical, and so on. However, the moral mode of regulation continues to be unique.

Firstly, because it does not need organizational support in the form of various institutions, punitive bodies, etc. Secondly, because moral regulation is carried out mainly through 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 extent to which they have become the inner conviction of an individual, an integral part of his spiritual world, a mechanism for motivating his command. Evaluative function Another function of morality is estimated. Morality considers the world, phenomena and processes from the point of view of their humanistic potential- the extent to which they contribute to the unification of people, their development. Accordingly, she classifies everything as positive or negative, good or evil.

The moral evaluative attitude to reality is its comprehension in terms of good and evil, as well as other concepts adjacent to them or derived from them (“justice” and “injustice”, “honor” and “disgrace”, “nobility” and “baseness” and etc.). At the same time, the specific form of expressing a moral assessment can be different: praise, agreement, censure, criticism, expressed in value judgments; expression of approval or disapproval. A moral assessment of reality puts a person in an active, active attitude towards it.

Assessing the world, we are already changing something in it, namely, changing our attitude to the world, our position. Educational function In the life of society, morality performs the most important task of shaping the personality, it is an effective means of education. Concentrating the moral experience of mankind, morality makes it the property of each new generation of people. This is her educational function.

Morality permeates all types of education insofar as it gives them the correct social orientation through moral ideals and goals, which ensures a harmonious combination of personal and social interests. Morality considers social ties as ties between people, each of which has a value in itself. It focuses on such actions that, while expressing the will of a given person, do not at the same time trample on the will of other people. Morality teaches to do every thing in such a way that it does not hurt other people.