Morality - what is it? Problems of morality in the modern world

What does the concept of “morality” mean?

Very often morality is identified with morality and ethics. However, these concepts are not entirely similar. Morality is a set of norms and values ​​of a particular person. It includes an individual’s ideas about good and evil, about how one should and should not behave in various situations.

Each person has his own criteria of morality. What seems completely normal to one is completely unacceptable to another. So, for example, some people have a positive attitude towards civil marriage and do not see anything bad in it. Others consider such cohabitation immoral and sharply condemn premarital relationships.

Education is one of the main functions of society

Time has confronted schools with the need to adjust and, in some ways, reconsider their pedagogical positions, to make changes to the content and forms of work with schoolchildren in connection with the aggravation of the spiritual and moral atmosphere in society. We are trying to preserve and revive in our school the good things in educational activities that have been created over the past years.

Let's start with the concept of "Education".

Education is one of the main functions of society; it is a social phenomenon that determines the type of human activity that has a meaningful, purposeful nature.

Education is the transfer of socio-historical experience to new generations in order to prepare them for social life and creative work; purposeful systematic influence on human development in order to prepare him to perform certain roles in the system of social relations.

Let's remember the principles of education:

• The principle of humanistic orientation
• The principle of conformity with nature
• The principle of cultural conformity
• The principle of the effectiveness of social interaction
• The principle of orientation of education towards the development of social and cultural competence

The main goal of the educational activities of students is the formation of personality, and personality and culture, as each of us understands, are inseparable. It's no secret that a cultured person is a person who is not only and not so much successfully trained and educated, but also a person who is able to preserve and develop the moral values ​​of family, society and humanity, demonstrating them in everyday life through his behavior, communication and etc.

In the short dictionary of philosophy, the concept of morality is equated to the concept of morality. Morality is norms, principles, rules of human behavior, as well as human behavior itself (motives of actions, results of activities), feelings, judgments that express people’s relationships with each other, with the team, class, people, society as a whole.

He highly appreciated the moral education of L.N. Tolstoy: “Of all the sciences that a person should know, the most important is the science of how to live, doing as little evil as possible and as much good as possible.”

In the pedagogical encyclopedia, moral education is defined as follows: moral education is the purposeful formation of moral consciousness, the development of moral feelings and the development of skills and habits of moral behavior. And the main goal of moral education is the education of a moral person, capable of making responsible decisions and demonstrating moral behavior in any life situations.

We have heard and read a lot about the tasks of education.

• Block 1: Assisting a child in his worldview and civic self-determination
• Block 2: The need to equip a growing person with the means of self-organization, respect for human dignity, and personal self-affirmation;
• Block 3: Placing a child in a situation of moral choice, his assimilation of moral categories in real life circumstances

Often observing the behavior of students during breaks, in the cafeteria, on the street, in transport, we come to think about their unworthy actions. We torment ourselves with questions: Why are they like this? What are they missing? Why are they immoral? How to raise such children? There is an urgent need to revise the foundations of spiritual and moral education. We need a new look at the very essence of this education.

Teachers, in close cooperation with the family and the public, are called upon to form moral criteria and principles of everyday life in adolescents. This is the essence of the moral education of minors, which is carried out through the processes of education, training, self-development of schoolchildren using a complex of educational, educational, developmental, psychological, physiological, social measures and factors. Moral education is effectively carried out only as a holistic process that corresponds to the norms of universal morality. The result of this process is the formation of a morally integral personality, implying the presence of free moral will, the ability to control oneself, gaining inner freedom, etc. Morality is formed in events, in everyday relationships and in the complexities of life, which a child has to understand, make choices, make decisions, and perform actions. A lot depends on the moral space in which the child is formed.

Principles of moral behavior

Despite the fact that morality is a purely individual concept, there are still common principles in modern society. First of all, these include the equality of rights of all people. This means that there should be no discrimination against a person on the basis of gender, race or any other basis. All people are equal before the law and the court, everyone has the same rights and freedoms.

The second principle of morality is based on the fact that a person is allowed to do everything that does not contradict the rights of other people and does not infringe on their interests. This includes not only issues regulated by law, but also moral and ethical standards. For example, deceiving a loved one is not a crime. However, from a moral point of view, the one who deceives causes suffering to the individual, and therefore infringes on his interests and acts immorally.

Morality of Modern Society

Bibliographic description:

Baranova, L.V. Morality of Modern Society / L.V. Baranova.
— Text: immediate // Questions of historical science: materials of the I International. scientific conf. (Moscow, January 2012). - Moscow: Your printing partner, 2012. - P. 40-43. — URL: https://moluch.ru/conf/hist/archive/53/1556/ (access date: 02/09/2022). Morality... never falls or crumbles,

she just changes

.

Alexander Nikonov

The morality of Modern society is based on simple principles: everything is permitted that does not directly violate the rights of other people; the rights of all people are equal. Since the main slogan of Modern society is “maximum happiness for the maximum number of people,” moral standards should not be an obstacle to the realization of the desires of a particular person - even if someone does not like these desires. But only as long as they do not harm other people.

It should be noted that from these two principles comes the third: “Be energetic, achieve success on your own.” After all, every person strives for personal success, and the greatest freedom provides the maximum opportunity for this. Obviously, the need for decency follows from these principles. For example, deceiving another person is, as a rule, causing him harm, and therefore is condemned by Modern morality.

You cannot directly encroach on someone else’s property: life, health, property, freedom - these are the minimum requirements. Live as you know, and don’t meddle in someone else’s life if they don’t ask - this is the main rule of morality for tomorrow. It can also be formulated as follows: “You cannot decide for others. Decide for yourself." This largely works in the most progressive countries now. Somewhere this rule of extreme individualism works more (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden), somewhere less. In advanced countries, “immoral” marriages between homosexuals are allowed, prostitution, smoking marijuana, etc. are legalized. There, a person has the right to manage his own life as he pleases. Jurisprudence is also developing in the same direction. Laws are drifting in the direction indicated by the thesis “no victims - no crime” [1, p. 17].

If we open the “Big Encyclopedic Dictionary” and look at the article “Morality”, we will see the following description: “Morality - see morality.” The time has come to separate these concepts.

Morality is the sum of unwritten standards of behavior established in society, a collection of social prejudices. Morality is closer to the word "decency". Morality is more difficult to define. It is closer to the biological concept of empathy; to such a concept of religion as forgiveness; to such a concept of social life as conformism; to such a concept of psychology as non-conflict. Simply put, if a person internally sympathizes, empathizes with another person and, in connection with this, tries not to do to another what he would not like for himself, if a person is internally non-aggressive, wise and therefore understanding, we can say that he is a moral person.

The main difference between morality and ethics is that morality always presupposes an external evaluative object: social morality - society, the crowd, neighbors; religious morality - God. And morality is internal self-control. A moral person is deeper and more complex than a moral person. Just as an automatically operating unit is more complex than a manual machine, which is activated by someone else’s will [2, p. 214].

Walking naked on the streets is immoral. Splashing with saliva, yelling at a naked person that he is a scoundrel is immoral. Feel the difference. The world is moving towards immorality, it is true. But he goes towards morality. Morality is a subtle, situational thing. Morality is more formal. It can be reduced to certain rules and prohibitions.

All of the above arguments are actually aimed at expanding the individual choice of people, but do not take into account the possible negative social consequences of such a choice. For example, if society recognizes a homosexual family as normal, then some people who currently hide their sexual orientation and have heterosexual families will stop doing so, which may negatively affect the birth rate. If we stop condemning drug use, the number of drug addicts may increase at the expense of those who currently avoid drugs for fear of punishment.

The concept of Modern Society is based on the fact that in such matters it is necessary to prevent injustice and discrimination. For example, if we want to fight low birth rates, then all childless people should be blamed and punished, not just homosexuals.

Freedom of speech leads to the publication of pornography and scenes of cruelty. Many people believe that this, in turn, negatively affects family values ​​and encourages violence. On the other hand, according to Internet Freedom founder Chris Evans, “60 years of research into the impact of media on society has found no link between violent images and violent actions.” In 1969, Denmark abolished all restrictions on pornography, and the number of sex crimes immediately went down [3, p. 141]. There is reason to believe that hazing in the army instills in a person a habit of violence to a much greater extent than the bloodiest action movies.

The change in moral standards is interpreted by some people as “decay” and “decay”, which will lead to the “collapse of our civilization.” Historical experience shows that collapse awaits precisely those who are frozen in place and do not change.

Should negative phenomena be combated by introducing prohibitions and using violence if they are violated? As historical experience shows, it is pointless to fight the objective laws of social development. As a rule, negative and positive development results are interconnected and it is impossible to fight the negative without destroying the positive. Therefore, in cases where such a struggle is successful, society pays for it with a lag in development - and negative trends are simply transferred to the future [4, p. 58].

A different approach seems more constructive. It is necessary to study the patterns of social changes without emotion and understand what positive and negative consequences they lead to. After which society must take actions aimed at strengthening the positive aspects of existing trends and weakening the negative ones.

An increase in freedom always leads to some people using it to their detriment. For example, the ability to purchase vodka leads to the emergence of alcoholics, the freedom to choose a lifestyle leads to the emergence of homeless people, sexual freedom increases the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, freer societies are always accused of “decay,” “moral decay,” etc. However, most people are quite rational and use freedom to their advantage. As a result, society becomes more efficient and develops faster.

When they talk about “health” and “unhealthy” society, they forget that the state of society cannot be described in terms of healthy/unhealthy/no third choice. Unfree societies are much more “healthy” in the sense of the absence of marginalized people (for example, in Nazi Germany even the mentally ill were destroyed). But they are much less healthy in the sense of the lack of people focused on development. Therefore, unfree, overly regulated societies (including those regulated by too strict moral standards) inevitably lose. And prohibitions, as a rule, are not very effective - prohibition, for example, does not so much fight alcoholism as create a mafia. The best choice is maximum freedom while strictly suppressing aggressive outcasts (including the destruction of criminals).

Modern morality is making its way into Russia. The new generation is much more individualistic and freer. Most Russian entrepreneurs say that hiring young people is profitable - young people are more honest, more energetic and steal less often. At the same time, during the transition period, crisis phenomena are observed, incl. and in the field of morality. This was the case, for example, during the transition from an agricultural to an industrial society; in particular, England in the early to mid-19th century experienced a serious crisis, accompanied by an increase in alcoholism, family breakdown, homelessness, etc. [5, p. 311]

Here, by the way, one common myth should be mentioned. Ancient Rome collapsed not as a result of “moral decay”, but because it stopped developing. Rome's main advantage was the presence of a rule of law and an effective civil society. With the transition from republic to imperial dictatorship, these social institutions were gradually undermined, development ceased, and as a result, Rome became a typical unstable empire, lacking fundamental social advantages compared to its barbarian surroundings. From that moment on, his death was only a matter of time.

But society also faces destruction if freedom exceeds certain limits and some people have the unpunished freedom to cause harm to others. In fact, this means that the freedom of some is curtailed by increasing the rights of others, i.e. freedom is destroyed. That is why the morality of Modern society is complete freedom, with the exception of the right to cause direct harm to another person. Moreover, Modern society should be intolerant of any attempts to cause such damage, i.e. restrict someone's freedom. In this, Modern society must be uncompromising and even cruel: as experience shows, the main problems of the most Modern countries lie precisely in excessive humanism in relation to intolerant and aggressive people.

One might argue that “permissiveness cannot be allowed!” And this thesis is absolutely true. Permissiveness is allowing one person to harm another. For example, safe premarital sex is not permissive, because... Each of the participants does not see any damage to themselves in this. But “highly moral” Iran is a permissive state: the country’s criminal code, based on Sharia law, provides for the execution of women by stoning for some “sexual crimes.” Moreover, it is specially stipulated that the stones should not be too large so that the victim does not die immediately. Such sadistic murder is undoubtedly permissive.

The morality of Modern society (as opposed to religious morality) is a morality based on reason. Such morality is more effective than morality based on emotions: emotions work automatically, while reason allows you to act more subtly depending on the situation (provided, of course, that reason is present). Just like human behavior based on emotional morality is more effective than animal behavior based on innate instincts.

A person in a transitional period (the transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial, Modern one) unconsciously experiences a feeling of guilt due to the continued effect of traditional moral attitudes. Religious figures still have high moral authority and they condemn Modern society.

Hence all the talk about the supposed “rottenness” and “decay”, although in reality there is much less immorality (moreover, the carriers of the highest form of immorality - violence and aggressiveness - are precisely people of traditional cultures, especially fundamentalists).

Religious figures, condemning the morality of Modern society, usually reason like this: a departure from religious morality leads to the abolition of moral principles in general, as a result of which people will begin to steal, kill, etc. They do not want to notice that the morality of Modern people is moving in the exact opposite direction: towards condemning violence and aggression in any form (and, for example, towards condemning theft, because Modern people are, as a rule, a wealthy middle class).

Research shows that the lowest degree of both religiosity and crime is observed among highly educated people. Those. a departure from traditional morality does not at all lead to a decline in morality in general. But for a traditional, poorly educated person, the reasoning of religious leaders is completely justified. These people need a “punishing baton” in the form of hell; however, they easily resort to violence “in the name of God.”

The prevailing morality in a transitional society is uncomfortable for a person, because it is contradictory, and therefore does not give him strength. She is trying to combine the incompatible: the liberal human right to choose and the traditional roots that denied such a right. Solving this contradiction, some go into fundamentalism, others rush into an egoistic “life for entertainment.” Both do not contribute to development and, therefore, have no prospects. Therefore, we need a consistent morality, the adherence to which ensures success for both the individual and the entire society.

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

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

- “don’t be lazy, be energetic, always strive for more”;

- “develop yourself, learn, become smarter - thereby you contribute to the progress of humanity”;

- “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 other people’s lives, respect the personality of another and private property” [6, p. 35].

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 (since the main resource - one’s abilities - is it is impossible to increase the score of others). Of course, all the classic moral imperatives are preserved (or rather, strengthened): “don’t kill,” “don’t steal,” “don’t lie,” “sympathize and help other people.” And these basic guidelines will no longer be violated in the name of God, which is the sin of most religions (especially in relation to “non-believers”). Moreover, the most problematic commandment - “don’t lie” - will be strengthened to the greatest extent, which will radically increase the level of trust in society, and therefore 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 has no need to lie. Lying is not beneficial to him - it can undermine his reputation as a professional. Moreover, lying is not necessary, because many things cease to be “shameful” and do not need to be hidden. In addition, a focus on self-development means that a person sees his main resource within himself and there is no need to exploit others.

If we talk about the priority of values, then the main thing for Modern society is human freedom and 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, traditional society is simply filled with immorality and lack of spirituality, including severe violence towards women and children (when they refuse to obey), towards all dissidents and “violators of traditions” (often ridiculous), a high degree of intolerance towards people of other faiths and so on.

An important moral imperative of Modern society is respect for law and justice, 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 ​​were fully operational would perhaps be the most efficient, complex, fast-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 numerous. This is the morality of a person who has studied hard, who has become a professional through his own efforts, who values ​​his freedom and is tolerant of other people. We are the majority in developed countries, and soon we will be the majority in Russia.

Modern morality is not about indulging selfishness and “base instincts.” Modern morality makes more demands on people than ever before in human history. Traditional morality gave a person clear rules of life, but did not require anything more from him. A person’s life in a traditional society was regulated; it was enough to simply live according to the order established for centuries. It did not require any mental effort, it was simple and primitive.

Modern morality requires a person to develop and achieve success through his own efforts. But she does not say how to do this, only stimulating a person to constantly search, overcome himself and strain 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 this entire world. In addition, self-development and increased professionalism also lead to the acquisition of material wealth, providing wealth and prosperity “in this life.” Without a doubt, Modern morality destroys many meaningless rules and prohibitions and in this sense makes life easier and more enjoyable. But at the same time, modern morality strictly demands that a person be a human being, and not follow his own animal instincts or herd feelings. This morality requires manifestations of reason, and not primitive emotions such as aggression, revenge, the desire to subjugate other people or submit to authority, which “will arrange and decide everything for us.” And it is far from easy to become tolerant, to overcome personal and social complexes [6, p. 31].

But the main thing is that Modern morality places the emphasis not on “pleasing oneself beloved” and not on the selfless (or rather self-deprecating) achievement of “great goals”, but on self-improvement and the improvement of everything that surrounds Modern man. As a result, people have nothing to share—no one needs to take anything away from others in order to focus more resources on themselves. After all, it is impossible to develop yourself at the expense of others - this can only be done as a result of your own efforts.

Literature: 1.Ananyev B.G. Man as a subject of education. - St. Petersburg, 2008. 2. Berdyaev N.A. About the purpose of a person. - M., 1993. 3. A. Peccei. Human qualities. // World of philosophy, part 2. - M., 1991. 4. Sorokin P.A. Man, civilization, society. - M., 1992. 5. Teilhard de Chardin. Human phenomenon. - M., 1987. 6. Karl Jaspers. Spiritual situation of the time. // Man and his values. - M., 1998.

Key terms
(generated automatically)
: Modern society, Modern morality, society, morality, freedom, the name of God, morality, industrial society, historical experience, personal success.

The meaning of morality

Some people believe that morality is only a necessary condition for going to heaven after death. During life, it has absolutely no effect on a person’s success and does not bring any benefit. Thus, the meaning of morality lies in cleansing our soul from sin.

In fact, such an opinion is erroneous. Morality is necessary in our lives not only for a specific person, but also for society as a whole. Without it, there will be arbitrariness in the world, and people will destroy themselves. As soon as eternal values ​​disappear in a society and habitual norms of behavior are forgotten, its gradual degradation begins. Theft, debauchery, and impunity flourish. And if immoral people come to power, the situation worsens even more.

Thus, the quality of life of humanity directly depends on how moral it is. Only in a society where basic moral principles are respected and observed can people feel secure and happy.

Main sources of moral experience

This is, first of all, an educational activity. The moral development of students in the classroom is carried out through the content of program and didactic material, and the organization of the lesson itself. Educational material, especially in literature and history, has enormous potential for moral influence on schoolchildren. It contains a large number of moral and ethical judgments. During the lessons, the teacher directly leads students to understand their relationship to man and society.

The spiritual education of a student can take place in any lesson.

strong influence on the moral development of schoolchildren in the learning process.

Each lesson the teacher implements certain goals, and not only those formulated in the plan. The teacher’s behavior, his gestures, his manner of dressing and speaking are reflected in the child’s mind; the nature of communication with him, with other students, under various circumstances; how he behaves with colleagues, how he reacts to the successes and failures of his classmates. The educator or teacher requires students to be careful, disciplined, and to fulfill their duties. And the result will depend on how demanding and consistent the teacher turns out to be. With skillful organization of both educational and extracurricular activities, students develop the foundations of moral behavior and spiritual culture.

A group of teacher personality qualities that influence moral education is identified:

• Social and general personal (ideology, citizenship, morality, pedagogical orientation and aesthetic culture)
• Professional and pedagogical
• Individual characteristics of cognitive processes and their pedagogical orientation (pedagogical observation, thinking, memory, etc.)
• Emotional responsiveness
• Strong-willed qualities
• Features of temperament
• Health status
• Creative thinking
• Dialogue communication
• "Transformative" abilities
• Pedagogical reflection
• Positive ethical qualities (virtues)
• High values ​​(patriotism, citizenship, love for children)

The moral character of a teacher is revealed to children in the system of his relationships to his work, to students and other people, to himself. Examples of a passionate, responsible attitude to one’s work, integrity, sensitivity and care in relationships with colleagues and students strengthen adolescents’ faith in the triumph of morality. And, on the contrary, if students witnessed an indifferent or tactless attitude of a teacher towards someone, the moral development of adolescents will suffer significant damage. It is especially important not to allow words, even sincere, passionate ones, to diverge from his deeds and actions.

A teacher is distinguished by the following qualities:

• bright personality;
• love for children;
• inner strength, determination;
• breadth and depth of interests;
• confidence in the correctness of his chosen path;
• creative attitude towards children and their work;

Technology for developing the feeling of “pedagogical love”

• 1. Try to understand that they are children, and that is why they behave like ordinary children.
• 2. Try to accept the child for who he really is - with pros and cons.
• 3. It is possible to find out more fully why he became “like this” and try to “develop” understanding, compassion and empathy for the child.
• 4. Find the positive in the child’s personality, express confidence in him, try to include him in general activities (with a pre-predicted positive assessment).
• 5. Establish personal contact using non-verbal communication, create “success situations”, and provide the child with positive verbal support.
• 6. Do not miss the moment of verbal or emotional response on his part, take an effective part in the problems and difficulties of the child.
• 7. Do not be shy to show your love for children, openly respond to manifestations of reciprocal love, consolidate a friendly, cordial, sincere tone in the practice of everyday communication.

Morals and ethics

Traditionally, the concept of “morality” is identified with morality. In many cases, these words are used interchangeably, and most people do not see a fundamental difference between them.

Morality represents certain principles and standards of behavior of people in various situations, developed by society. In other words, it is a public point of view. If a person follows established rules, he can be called moral, but if he ignores them, his behavior is immoral.

What is morality? The definition of this word differs from morality in that it does not apply to society as a whole, but to each individual person. Morality is a rather subjective concept. What is the norm for some is unacceptable for others. A person can be called moral or immoral based only on his personal opinion.

Modern morality and religion

Everyone knows that any religion calls a person to virtue and respect for basic moral values. However, modern society puts human freedom and rights at the forefront of everything. In this regard, some of God's commandments have lost their relevance. So, for example, few people can devote one day a week to serving the Lord because of their busy schedule and fast pace of life. And the commandment “thou shalt not commit adultery” for many is a restriction on the freedom to build personal relationships.

Classic moral principles regarding the value of human life and property, help and compassion for others, condemnation of lies and envy remain in force. Moreover, now some of them are regulated by law and can no longer be justified by supposedly good intentions, for example, the fight against infidels.

Modern society also has its own moral values, which are not indicated in traditional religions. These include the need for constant self-development and self-improvement, determination and energy, the desire to achieve success and live in abundance. Modern people condemn violence in all its forms, intolerance and cruelty. They respect human rights and his desire to live as he sees fit. Modern morality places emphasis on human self-improvement, transformation and development of society as a whole.

History of the problem

The first source of morality for humanity was the Divine Commandments, which called people to purity of actions and thoughts.

In different eras there were different spiritual guidelines. If we turn to history and consider some of the moral guidelines of ancient times, they may shock a modern person. For example, fearing the loss of his kingdom, the Egyptian pharaoh ordered the killing of all newborn boys.

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Over time, the Divine Laws were supplanted by such moral standards as honor, dignity, loyalty, duty, love for the Motherland, etc. The religious norms that have reached us have been somewhat transformed. This is due to the modern view of religion and attitude towards it.

Some moral norms have reached our time, having changed somewhat, but at the same time maintaining their relevance. For example, in Ancient Rus', an honest word given by a merchant symbolized directness and sincerity; it was inviolable. In the modern world, the attitude towards the “word of honor” is somewhat different, but respected people strive to keep it.

Some moral norms have not reached our days and have lost their meaning. For example, until recently, all women were required to cover their heads. Harlots and commoners threw off their scarves and veils. Modern women do not comply with this norm, as it has lost its significance. However, the norm of walking with your head covered remains in a number of countries. This is primarily due to religion. In many Muslim countries, women still wear the hijab.

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Course work Moral problems in the modern world 430 ₽ Essay Moral problems in the modern world 270 ₽ Test work Moral problems in the modern world 190 ₽

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If we turn to historical works of art, one of the most popular paintings is the Mona Lisa, which symbolizes modesty and humility. However, by the standards of the time when the picture was painted, the woman who posed for Leonardo da Vinci is a girl of easy virtue. This is evidenced by her appearance - open shoulders and head.

There are moral standards that have reached our time practically unchanged. For example, a negative attitude towards alcoholism. Back in the time of Plutarch, a law was passed banning drinking alcohol, as it had a negative effect on the human body and its behavior. The same negative attitude towards alcoholism and alcohol has survived to this day.

Note 1

Thus, moral norms and rules are subject to change and transformation over time. This is due to changes in people’s thinking, in their attitude towards phenomena and situations.

The problem of youth morality

Many people say that modern society has already begun to decay morally. Indeed, crime, alcoholism and drug addiction are thriving in our country. Young people do not think about what morality is. The definition of this word is completely foreign to them.

Very often, modern people put values ​​such as pleasure, an idle life and fun at the forefront of everything. At the same time, they completely forget about morality, guided only by their selfish needs.

Modern youth have completely lost such personal qualities as patriotism and spirituality. For them, morality is something that can interfere with freedom and limit it. Often people are ready to commit any act to achieve their goals, without thinking at all about the consequences for others.

Thus, today in our country the problem of youth morality is very acute. Solving it will require more than a decade and a lot of effort on the part of the government.

Morality is what distinguishes us from animals

How do animals live? Their behavior is completely dictated by instincts. Therefore, the concept of morality is simply irrelevant for them. It is stupid to say that a wolf eating a lamb is immoral. The wolf must eat sheep. This is his Dharma. This is its purpose. And he must, for reasons of reason, fulfill it. Another question is why did he incarnate as a wolf? But this, as they say, is a completely different story. So, animals basically have no choice. They are forced to follow their nature - their instincts. Another thing is the person. A person has a choice: to follow the demonic path of development or the divine. Thus, every day we make a choice in which direction we are moving. Animals do not have this choice. And it is for this reason that it is said that it is very difficult for the soul to escape from the animal world into higher worlds: an animal cannot make a choice in favor of any morality, because this very morality simply does not exist for it.

There are, of course, periodic examples where animals sometimes act even better than people. When, for example, a dog saves a person’s life. But this is, rather, an exception, which tells us that this soul most likely has a rich experience of incarnations, and perhaps even is a bodhisattva who consciously incarnated in the animal world in order to help other living beings. The fact is that sometimes beings such as bodhisattvas deliberately choose to incarnate in the animal world, most often as predators, and, by eating living beings, establish a karmic connection with them in order to then “pull” them into a higher world. But this is a special case. For most animals, everything is predetermined by their instincts.

So, the possibility of moral choice is what distinguishes us from animals. But, unfortunately, not everyone enjoys this advantage. It is said that it is incredibly difficult to achieve this precious human rebirth, and therefore, having incarnated in the world of people, to behave in obedience to one's instincts and not to the call of the heart is extreme ignorance. Unfortunately, modern culture contributes to this in every possible way. Why? There can be many reasons. The main one is that immoral and spiritually weak people are easier to govern. It is easier to focus on consumption and can, in principle, be forced to commit any meanness. This is why immoral behavior is often shown in films today, and people subconsciously simply adopt such thinking patterns and patterns of immoral behavior.

Golden Rule of Morality

How can one find the truth among the many different concepts and concepts about morality and not fall into the bait of various philosophical and religious teachings that offer us, to put it mildly, strange ideas? There is a simple principle that was formed by ancient philosophers, and this principle is one way or another reflected in many world religions. The principle goes something like this: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Such a concept, perhaps, can be some kind of guide, a guiding star in the endless ocean of life, full of tricks and dangers. This principle is reflected in a number of world religions, which to some extent indicates its objectivity and truth:

• In Judaism the principle is: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” A slightly abstract interpretation of the golden rule of morality, but the message is approximately the same.
• In Christianity: “So in everything that you want people to do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.” This principle is set out in the Gospel of Matthew. The same thing is said in the Gospel of Luke: “And whatever you want people to do to you, do so to them.” Jesus taught this principle many times, and his apostles also often repeated this principle in their sermons.
• In Islam: The Prophet Muhammad also taught his disciples: “Do to all people what you would like people to do to you, and do not do to others what you would not want for yourself.”
• In Hinduism: in the ancient scripture “Mahabharata” there is also a mention of the golden rule of morality: “Let a person not cause to another what is unpleasant to himself.”
• In Confucianism: The Chinese philosopher Confucius taught his disciples: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to another.”

It is noteworthy that the golden rule of morality

is present in all world religions, as well as many philosophical teachings, which indicates that many Teachers of mankind and philosophers in their reflections and spiritual searches came to the same conclusion: you need to broadcast into the world only what you yourself would like to receive. This understanding comes from understanding and accepting the law of cause and effect - “As you sow, so shall you reap.” When a person comes to the realization that every action has a reason and will have consequences, then the understanding comes that when you harm another, you harm yourself. However, despite the fact that most religions and philosophies agree that you should not do to others what you do not want to receive yourself, nevertheless, adherents of these religions continue to commit inappropriate actions, and some religions themselves sometimes offer very strange concepts, which clearly do not comply with this rule. Take meat-eating, which is not considered an immoral act by some religions.

What's the problem? Realizing that a person receives everything that he shows to others, nevertheless, there are religions and teachings that have a very strange moral basis. The problem is that in modern society the concept of good is distorted beyond recognition. Whether this happens by itself or due to someone’s malicious intent is difficult to say, but the fact remains a fact. It is a very common belief in our society that everything that brings pleasure is good. Thus, bringing pleasure to people means doing good. But, unfortunately, receiving pleasure and entertainment has not yet led anyone to development. There are simply no examples.

All development and all evolution occurs only when a living being is forced to leave its comfort zone. A comfortable environment is not conducive to development. When parents try to please their child, entertain him, shower him with gifts and goodies, they simply “remove” good karma from him, wasting his potential, which he could use more wisely in the future. But in society, such behavior is considered almost the fulfillment of parental duty. But the most interesting thing is that such parents, most likely, are themselves addicted to pleasure and entertainment, and it turns out that the golden rule of morality is not violated here: by giving their child pleasure and entertaining him, they are ready and want to get the same for themselves. This is the dangerous background of the golden rule of morality. Most people today, in fact, are not striving for what a moral person should strive for, and that is why they “do good” to others, based on the values ​​​​that were instilled in them by the consumption system that exists in our world today.

Synonyms of morality

It is worth paying attention to the synonyms of the word “morality”, which make us understand how important this is in our lives. For example: morality, honesty, nobility. Chastity is also synonymous with the word morality. Whole-wisdom - that is, the integrity of wisdom, its harmony. Indeed, morality stems from wisdom. Although there are cases where some religions simply use intimidation to force their adherents to live morally. But such morality out of fear, as historical experience shows, leads nowhere. As soon as the desire to commit an immoral act becomes stronger than fear, this act will be committed. Less common synonyms include justice, selflessness, purity, and virtue. Virtue - that is, “doing good.” This is the essence of morality. It is only important to understand what good is and when and how it needs to be done.