Moral norms: concept, examples, differences from legal norms

Do you often encounter a situation where something is not prohibited, but it is better not to do it? When there are no legal prohibitions, only two restrictions apply: the laws of physics and moral standards.

Today we will discuss the rules and norms of public morality, we will understand what it is and why society needs it. Our “Cognitive Science” and “Self-Knowledge” programs will help you, which will teach you to think and act in such a way as to achieve success using environmentally friendly methods, without violating the rules of morality and legal norms.

So let's get started!

Definition of moral principles

In other words, moral principles are requirements that must be strictly followed in all life situations.

The formation of moral principles is strongly influenced by upbringing, family relationships, religion, environment, and culture. What seemed unacceptable and reprehensible some time ago may become the norm and not cause condemnation. And vice versa: some things that were considered ordinary may become completely unacceptable.

It is moral principles that allow a person to choose the right path in life and influence decision-making in accordance with his conscience throughout his life, giving him a general direction for his activities.

Every person goes through several stages of moral development at different stages of his life, and his own moral principles can change under the influence of external factors.

Moral principles are something that is formed and can change throughout life, is relevant for a particular society and for each person separately, without these principles the existence of a harmonious society is impossible.

The importance of morality in human society

Morality is included in absolutely all areas of human life, while it itself is not an organized sphere of activity. Morality cannot be institutionalized or controlled in any way, but at the same time it is comprehensive. Ethical requirements are expressed in the form of an imperative, as a command to act in a certain way out of a sense of moral duty to other people.

Man is a biosocial being, therefore the presence of society is necessary for his normal life. Each of us has a need to be close to other representatives of the species Homo sapiens. Only with the help of morality, which manifests itself through rules and requirements, as well as the self-awareness of an individual and any community as a whole, is the collective expression of will expressed to harmonize individual and group interests.

In society there is a commonality of three elements of the structure of morality:

1. moral activity;
2. moral consciousness;
3. moral relations.

Morality is very important both for the life of an individual and for the normal functioning of society as a whole, because it acts as a natural regulator of relationships, a kind of internal censor to which we turn when we do not know whether we are doing the right thing.

History of the term "morality"

It is impossible to say exactly when society first began to think about what morality is.

The earliest source that describes this concept is the parables of Solomon (mid-10th century BC). During Homer's life, society was well aware of conscience, virtue, honor, and legality.

Confucius (6th–5th centuries BC) wrote about issues of morality and morality, who considered mercy, philanthropy and integrity to be the most important universal values.

Cicero made a great contribution to the formation of the concept of morality. He talked a lot about how ethics, morality and law relate to each other. He sought to show that it is impossible to separate the concepts of law and morality, since together they make it possible to rid society of chaos and create order. Of course, Cicero, who lived in the 1st century BC, was far from a pioneer on this topic. But it was he who introduced the definition of morality that we still rely on today.

Pythagoras, Socrates and Plato also raised questions of morality in their contemporary society and gave examples of highly moral behavior by the standards of that time.

The term “morality” originates from the Latin moralitas, moralis, mores - tradition, folk custom, behavior, and later - disposition, character, mores. Ancient Roman authors translated the word as “conformity to good morals.” In the 18th century, a similar word was used in French and meant “equal to the law, legitimate.” The word “morality” also came into Russian through French (la morale) in the 18th century.

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General concept

Sometimes moral norms are considered to have priority over other canons in certain periods of the development of society; they are characterized by universality, categoricalness, and immutability. In other cases, the absolutization of moral principles is seen as fanaticism. As a result, moral standards reflect the needs of society. Some authors of works divide the canons of morality into categories:

• basic ones that form the laws of ethics;
• secondary, arising from the structure of priority provisions.

The patterns set forth in the author's works of Thomas Aquinas refer to highly spiritual examples of moral norms. The Italian theologian and philosopher, recognized by the church as a holy teacher, called for striving for good and maximum benefit for a large number of people.

This concept is also revealed in I. Kant’s philosophy on morality (the book “The Categorical Imperative”) and reflects the categories of highly moral values. Later, the author publishes two works that are devoted to the study of spiritual ethics:

1. 1785 - “Fundamentals of the metaphysics of morality.”
2. 1788 - “Critique of Practical Reason.”

The basic canons of public morality remain unshakable and contain provisions on the pursuit of good and opposition to evil. General ethical principles are not to harm other individuals, regardless of social status, religious beliefs and nationality.

Classification of canons

Norms may relate to the existence of humans as a biological species; the value is the life of the individual. Actions and behavior are given such meaning that they protect being as a whole. Other canons are important for the honor and dignity of a person; they perform the functions of protecting the personal freedoms and independence of the individual.

The key features of moral norms are that their rules provide for distinctive indicators of fidelity and truthfulness. They also define justice and ethical virtues. The following types of moral norms are distinguished:

1. A taboo is an unbreakable prohibition on action. Violation of rules harms society and determines the choice of behavior in social and everyday terms. This foundation in the form of a legal canon was practiced at the dawn of human development and has been preserved in some cultures to this day.
2. A custom is a certain combination of actions and represents the repetition of events in certain circumstances. The significance of such actions is especially great in the traditional perception of society.
3. Traditions repeat customs in the form of stable forms of behavior and are passed on to heirs. They are characterized by regular reproduction and a long period of existence.
4. Moral rules represent a structure of behavioral norms that require an individual to make a conscious choice when committing an action. The appearance of a person is formed on the basis of moral self-determination.

There are differences and similarities between these concepts, since all the rules relate to human existence.

Ideals of behavior presuppose complete submission to the requirements of morality; effectiveness is achieved through general norms for the entire society. If the canons are not followed, this causes disapproval of other people, morality is formed on feelings of shame, guilt and remorse.

Law and Morality

The fields of law and morality are connected in many ways in life. The regulation of relationships is considered by social science. In both areas, rules of conduct are prescribed that are aimed at maintaining order and justice. Morality and law have features:

• moral canons are of social origin, and jurisdiction is ruled by the state;
• a person fulfills moral principles consciously and voluntarily under the influence of the social order, and legal norms relate to coercive concepts;
• for spiritual improvement there are no codes and codes, while laws are formulated in legal acts;
• morality is characterized by flexibility, abstractness, different interpretations, and the content of laws is subject to strict formulations;
• morality determines the value of behavior in the categories of evil and good, bias and impartiality, and jurisdiction regulates actions in the categories of legal and unreasonable.

Moral rules are not mandatory, violation of them is followed by public disapproval, but the person remains free, his property is not in danger.

If the rules of law are ignored, the individual is given a mandatory punishment involving imprisonment or confiscation of material assets.

Some principles of morality and law coincide, for example, the law on theft. A person does not want to steal other people's property due to fear of social censure or fear of getting a prison sentence. In either case, the individual does not commit a bad act. Sometimes the concepts fundamentally contradict each other, for example, the theft of medicine or food occurs to save the life of a loved one. In this case, legal laws conflict with moral obligations.

Approaches to understanding morality

There are four approaches to understanding morality:

1. Religious. Its adherents believed that the source of morality is the absolute. To curb his passions, a person is forced to turn to God for help. Faith in him helps to follow the absolute rules of behavior.
2. Evolutionary. In the process of natural selection, a person acquires and inherits a certain line of behavior. According to this version, morality comes from the instinct of sociability of people.
3. Naturalistic. The root cause of morality is nature. The human mind defines natural moral values ​​as good or evil.
4. Cultural. Morality is one of the elements of society's culture.

Personal values ​​and moral principles of society

What values ​​you have, and how they align with the moral values ​​of your community and your own actions, directly influence your sense of belonging and, more broadly, life satisfaction.

Personal values ​​are principles you believe in and have invested in. Values ​​are the goals you strive for; they largely determine the essence of personality. But more importantly, they are a source of motivation for self-improvement. People's values ​​determine what they want personally, while morals determine what the society around those people wants for them.

Humanistic psychologists suggest that people have an innate sense of values ​​and personal preferences that tend to be hidden beneath layers of social demands and expectations (social morality). Part of the human journey involves the gradual rediscovery of those innate and highly personal desires that are unconsciously hidden when they are found to conflict with the demands of society. However, if one takes an inventory of values, most well-socialized people will find that there is a high degree of correspondence between what they want and what society wants.

Yes, certain behaviors are considered desirable and others are not, but for the most part, as we have seen, morality is not set in stone and often reflects local cultural characteristics and historical aspects that tend to change.

Basic functions of morality

Morality performs the following functions:

• The integrative function of morality is to harmonize the internal state of a person.
• The evaluative function of morality is associated with a person’s ability to determine the criteria for his own and others’ actions based on the concepts of good and evil. Moral assessment is expressed in praise, blame, agreement, etc.
• The regulatory function of morality determines activities taking into account the needs of surrounding people and the entire society. Morality establishes social norms to be observed, imposes sanctions, and maintains rules of behavior.
• The controlling function of morality is checking the compliance of a person’s behavior with the norms established in society. Self-control based on the judgment of others or conscience.
• The educational function of morality is a mechanism for learning to live in society: how to learn to reckon with other people. Morality teaches us to understand and accept their needs and interests, shapes the individual’s personality, his worldview and personal concepts of good and evil.
• The value-orienting function of morality forms life values ​​and moral goals for each person, lays down the concept of the meaning of life.

Concepts of the emergence of morality

A separate branch of philosophy, ethics, studies the essence of morality and its influence on the consciousness and actions of people. Answering the question about the origin and development of human morality, scientists divided into three main groups, each of which tends to a certain point of view:

Morality is given to people by God

Divine law (which has the highest, primary significance for the foundations of morality) consists of three steps:

1. the eternal law, which is hidden in the divine mind, implies that without faith in God there will be no morality;
2. the natural law of morality, the meaning of which is that human nature, the soul created by the creator, constantly strives to merge with him;
3. positive human law, the lowest level of the three, is a community of legal and moral norms that are accepted in society.

The religious concept is authoritarian and unchanging, it presupposes clear boundaries in the consideration of good and evil. The requirements of divine law are expressed in commandments.

Ethical standards are inherent in people from the very beginning

Proponents of this naturalistic concept, relying on the scientific works of Charles Darwin and P. Kropotkin, expressed the idea of ​​​​the similarity of the psychology of consciousness and behavior of primitive people and animals. In ancient times, a person’s first place was the clan with all the customs and rules established in it, taboos and prejudices, habits and interests that were mandatory for the majority, which implied the merging of individual representatives into a single whole. From here, adherents of this idea believe, ethics arose and began to develop; from this identification of oneself with others, the concept of justice, and later - morality, appeared.

The emergence and improvement of morality occurred only with the development of society

Representatives of the sociological point of view believe that the answer to the question of the emergence of morality should not be sought in human essence. The primary source here is the historical and social conditions for the development of society, as well as its needs, the satisfaction of which is expressed in the desire to organize the optimal coexistence of people with each other in a more profitable and convenient way for oneself (society).

Classification of moral principles

A person recognizes moral principles as behavior that determines the nature of relationships in society.

The following moral principles are distinguished:

• The principle of humanism is the highest human value, which is expressed in love for one’s neighbor, protection of dignity, recognition of the right to a happy existence and self-realization.
• The principle of altruism is a moral norm that calls for providing selfless support to those in need.
• The principle of collectivism is the possibility of coexistence to achieve a common goal. It consists of cooperation, mutual assistance, and democracy.
• The principle of justice is equal rights and freedoms for all members of society. Social and economic benefits are available to everyone without exception and are distributed depending on the amount of effort on the part of each person.
• The principle of mercy is the willingness to sympathize and help those who ask, regardless of social status and appearance.
• The principle of peacefulness is based on the recognition of human life as the highest value. It assumes respect for national and regional characteristics and state sovereignty. Peacefulness helps maintain social order and mutual understanding between generations.
• The principle of patriotism is love for the Motherland, care for it, readiness to defend it from enemies, pride in state achievements, respect for history and respect for national property.
• The principle of tolerance means respect, acceptance and correct understanding of the rich diversity of cultures of our world, forms of self-expression and ways of manifesting human individuality. In other words, accepting the diversity of cultures without the desire to suppress or correct them.

Norms and principles of morality

Of all the variety of moral norms, it is customary to highlight only seven, which are becoming the most widespread and relevant in the modern world (their influence can also be traced in religious teachings):

1. Sanity, or prudence, that is, the ability of an individual to think prudently, without succumbing to emotions and momentary impulses.
2. Asceticism, or abstinence, extends not only to sexual relations between people, but also to restrictions on food, entertainment and other pleasures, because an excess of material values ​​distracts from the improvement of spiritual values.
3. Justice, or impartiality, manifested in the assessment of other people, including respect for them, their needs and interests. For all actions that a person has committed in relation to others, at a certain time there should be a commensurate response: retribution or reward.
4. Stubbornness, or steadfastness, means the ability to overcome difficulties and learn from them. It can be shared with others, helping to move forward, despite the obstacles that arise along the path of life.
5. Hard work, or perseverance, is a quality that helps a person realize himself in any business related not only to personal gain, but also to public benefit. This moral principle has been valued since the very beginning of humanity and is of great importance in society to this day.
6. Humility, or submission, expresses a person’s ability to stop in time, before he has time to mess things up.
7. Politeness, or delicacy, is the basis of diplomacy, constructive relationships and profitable deals.

In addition to the above-mentioned moral standards, there are moral principles that help determine common, similar forms of interaction between people in society. These are the behavioral criteria:

1. humanism - the highest value is the person, his dignity and self-worth;
2. collectivism - the conscious desire of the individual to contribute with all his might to the common good;
3. altruism - willingness to help others free of charge and selflessly;
4. mercy - a manifestation of good nature, goodwill, compassion and philanthropy;
5. voluntary renunciation of extreme individualism and manifestations of selfishness;
6. the principle of the golden mean - a sense of proportion in everything: in deeds, actions, emotions;
7. the principle of talion, or “an eye for an eye” - the need to compensate for losses to one individual at the expense of another, if the loss of the first was due to the fault of the second. At the same time, it is necessary to tune in to the search for positive and constructive methods of exiting crisis or conflict situations.

A moral norm obliges a person to perform certain actions or prescribes how he should behave in similar situations; a moral principle shows the general direction of effort to be made during an activity.

Moral principles of communication

Moral norms and principles in the context of communication:

• self-respect and showing respect to interlocutors;
• priority of other people's or public interests over personal ones;
• conscious avoidance of using life's benefits for the sake of achieving a set goal;
• tackling complex social problems and working under extreme conditions for higher goals or ideals;
• responsibility and free care for those in need;
• building relationships with members of society based on kindness and benevolence;
• recognition of the inviolability of the personal dignity of each person;
• politeness and respect for the interlocutor, the use of generally accepted ethical standards;
• communication is a two-way process, not a monologue, each participant contributes to it;
• equality of parties participating in communication, regardless of gender, age, social status;
• sincerity in expressing feelings, truthfulness of transmitted information;
• clarity and accessibility for all participants in communication;
• consistency and correct order of communication elements, for example, question-answer, encouragement to respond.

Protect yourself and others

Sometimes selfishness reigns in the soul of a person, which then devours it. The funny thing about this unpleasant phenomenon is that a person expects too much from others and, not receiving it, considers himself useless and worthless. That is, the road from narcissism to self-flagellation and suffering on this basis is not so far.

But everything is very easy - learn to give joy to others, and they will begin to share the benefits with you. By developing moral and ethical standards, society can protect itself from traps into which it itself will fall.

Different groups of people may have different sets of unspoken rules. Sometimes an individual may find himself caught between two positions from which to choose. For example, a young man received a request for help from both his mother and his wife. In order to please everyone, he will have to break up, in the end someone will say in any case that he acted inhumanely and that the word “morality” is apparently unknown to him.

So moral standards are a very subtle matter that you need to understand thoroughly so as not to get confused. Having some behavioral patterns, it is easier to build your own actions on their basis. After all, you need to be responsible for your actions.

Lack of moral principles

A complete absence of moral principles is impossible - a person in any case has some idea of ​​​​what can and cannot be done. These ideas may differ significantly from those generally accepted in a particular society, then such a person may be called immoral. If a person stops developing his personality, stops setting goals and guidelines for himself, then he begins to degrade. Along with this, a regression of formed moral norms and rules begins.

Free decision-making

Moral standards do not bring with them material punishments. The person decides for himself whether to follow them or not. After all, awareness of debt is also an individual matter. To stay on the right path with an open mind, you need to ensure that there are no overwhelming factors.

People must realize that they are doing the right thing not because of the possible punishment, but because of the reward that will result in harmony and prosperity for all.

It's about having personal choice. If society has already developed some legal and moral norms, it is often these that dictate such a decision. It is not easy to accept it alone, because things and phenomena have exactly the value that we give them. Not everyone is ready to sacrifice personal interests for the sake of what is considered right in a general sense.

What are the specifics of moral standards?

There are certain differences between them against the background of such phenomena as custom or legal norm. There are often cases when morality does not contradict the law, but, on the contrary, supports and strengthens it.

Theft is not only punishable, but also condemned by society. Sometimes paying a fine is not even as difficult as losing the trust of others forever. There are also cases when law and morality part ways along their common path. For example, a person can commit the same theft if the lives of loved ones are at stake, then the individual believes that the end justifies the means.

Distinctive Marks of Morality

There are various spheres of human spiritual life: science, art, literature, religion. All of them are organized activities. There are institutions that ensure the development of these manifestations of social life. But not morality. Its processes are not ensured by organizations and institutions, and, nevertheless, morality penetrates into all niches of people’s activities.

The difference between moral norms and customs and legal norms:

1. Universality. The custom is of a national, historical, social nature. Public morality (not the moral principles of a social group) is universal for all humanity.
2. Voluntariness. The law implies strict compliance. Moral norms are designed for the free choice of a person, subject to his reason. Compliance with custom is based on habit and fear of social disapproval. Compliance with moral principles is strengthened by a sense of duty and conscience.
3. Inclusiveness. Moral standards apply in all areas of activity: in study, work, science, business, creativity, politics.