It has already been noted that morality and ethics are studied by a special philosophical discipline - ethics(p. 11,26). In this topic about personality, it is important to determine our moral guidelines that regulate social relations, directing them towards humanization (so that people, as Berdyaev says, are humane and do not create an animal world for themselves). Recall (c.l 1) that moral- these are the ones internal(spiritual and mental) qualities of a person (morals), which are based on the ideals of goodness (justice, honor, love, compassion, duty) and which determine his behavior in society and nature. The highest morality is when an individual is moral alone, because good by decree or for show is not good.
In its turn morality represents external requirements for human actions and covers a set of ideals, principles and norms of good behavior of people in relation to each other, to society, and to nature. Moral requirements imperative(imperative), i.e. are subject to unconditional fulfillment if the individual wants to be a person and not a beast. At the same time, these requirements (unlike legal norms) are not written down in laws and do not imply strict external control. Each person determines and leads his own line of behavior, guided by self-awareness, his conscience, a sense of personal dignity, honor and the desire (or unwillingness) for others to think better about him.
No one “invents” moral standards. They are reproduced every day by the force of our mass habits, dictates, assessments, and through education they are passed on to new generations of people. Thus, one of the most ancient commandments “what you don’t love in another, don’t do it yourself” has passed through the centuries and taken root in the consciousness of the intelligent majority of humanity as Golden Rule morality. This rule is reflected in the Bible: “Do unto other people as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31).
Thus, everything that leads to good is moral and ethical. And the basis of morality, according to Schweitzer, are such human abilities as love, empathy (p. 69), compassion and principle " reverence for life"(respect for to all living things- to humans, animals, plants, to all nature). Someone, for example, is capable of raping and killing fellow tribesmen without pity (like that Russian “officer” who strangled a Chechen girl in 2000). And another may even grieve over a broken twig...
Chekhov tells with bitterness how he and the artist Levitan hunted. He shot a woodcock. Anton Pavlovich picked up the wounded bird: " a long nose, big black eyes and beautiful clothes. He looks in surprise. What to do with him? Levitan winces, closes his eyes and asks with a trembling voice: - Darling, hit him with your head on the stock... - I say: I can’t... And the woodcock continues to look in surprise. I had to listen to Levitan and kill him. There was one less beautiful creature in love, and two fools returned home and sat down to dinner" (70-11,569).
So Nietzsche is absolutely wrong when he asserts that “by being compassionate you become weaker.” You don’t weaken, but you get rid of the bestial, you become person you delight the soul and uplift the spirit. It is no coincidence that Nietzsche, a stranger to compassion, died in illness and pain at 56. And the great altruist Schweitzer, who compassionately treated Africans for half a century, passed away calmly, peacefully, with dignity - at 90. At the same time, the philosopher and doctor Schweitzer became a laureate Nobel Prize peace, and Churchill called him the “Genius of Humanity.”
Conclusion. Moral, moral person clearly distinguishes between good and evil and subordinates his behavior to good. Immoral but it means immoral, evil. Extreme examples of immorality are when a mother abandons her small child or when adult children abandon their elderly parents. We - People(and not animals), and therefore we are responsible for those whom we gave birth to and who gave life to us.
What is the essence and meaning of the Golden Rule of Morality? What is good and evil. duty and conscience? What are the theoretical and practical significance of moral choice and moral assessment?
Social norms (see § 6), morality and law (see § 7).
There are several scientific definitions of morality and ethics. Let us cite one of them: morality is a form of normative-evaluative orientation of the individual, communities in behavior and spiritual life, mutual perception and self-perception of people.
Sometimes morality and morality are distinguished: morality is the norms of consciousness, and morality is the implementation of these norms in life and the practical behavior of people.
Morality is ethics - a theory that considers the essence, problems of moral choice, moral responsibility of a person, relating to all aspects of his life, communication, work, family, civic orientation, national and religious relations, professional duty. Therefore, ethics is generally considered to be “practical philosophy.”
SPIRITUAL REGULATOR LIFE
You already know that, being a social being, a person cannot help but obey certain rules. This necessary condition the survival of the human race, the integrity of society, the sustainability of its development. At the same time, rules and norms are designed to protect the interests and dignity of the individual. Among these norms, the most important are moral norms. Morality is a system of norms and rules governing communication and behavior of people to ensure the unity of public and personal interests.
Who sets moral standards? There are different answers to this question. The authoritative position of those who see their source in the activities and commandments of the founders of world religions - the great teachers of mankind: Confucius, Buddha, Moses, Jesus Christ.
Christ taught: "... In everything, as you want people to treat you well, so behave yourself towards them." Thus, in ancient times, the foundation was laid for the main universal normative moral requirement, which was later called the “golden rule of morality.” It says: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
According to another point of view, moral norms and rules are formed in a natural-historical way, on the basis of mass life practice, and are polished in various life situations, gradually turning into the moral laws of society.
Based on experience, the people were guided by moral prohibitions and requirements: do not kill, do not steal, help in trouble, tell the truth, keep promises. At all times, greed, cowardice, deceit, hypocrisy, cruelty, and envy have been condemned. Freedom, love, honesty, generosity, kindness, hard work, modesty, loyalty, and mercy have always been approved.
Moral attitudes of the individual have been studied by major philosophers. One of them - Immanuel Kant - formulated the categorical imperative of morality, the imitation of which is very important for the implementation of moral guidelines for activity. The categorical imperative is an unconditional compulsory requirement (command), not allowing objections, obligatory for all people, regardless of their origin, position, circumstances.
How does Kant characterize the categorical imperative? Let us give one of the formulations, think about it, discuss it, compare it with the “golden rule”. There is, Kant argued, one categorical imperative: “Always act in accordance with such a maxim (a maxim is the highest principle, a rule, which at the same time you can consider a law).” The categorical imperative, like the “golden rule,” affirms a person’s personal responsibility for his actions, teaches not to do to others what one does not wish for oneself. Consequently, these provisions, like morality in general, are humanistic in nature, because the “other” acts as a friend. Speaking about the meaning of the “golden rule” and the Kantian imperative, the modern scientist K. Pred wrote that “no other thought has made such a powerful impact on moral development humanity."
Many generations of educators, psychologists and researchers of human personality have been discussing what a person’s spiritual and moral guidelines are and what their power of influence is on the harmonious development of the individual. Moreover, each group names almost identical (with minor deviations) norms of behavior. What are these factors that significantly affect a person’s quality of life?
What are spiritual and moral guidelines?
This term usually means a set of rules for interaction with society and moral principles, patterns of behavior that a person focuses on to achieve harmony in life or spiritual development. These rules include:
- Morality and its components: conscience, mercy, freedom, duty (patriotism inclusive) and justice.
- Morality: this term contains the essence of a person’s high demand for himself in terms of his activities, directed both to the external world and to the internal one. The main moral guidelines are the desire for goodness and humility, the rejection of actions that bring harm to both society and oneself, as well as spiritual development of your personality.
- Communication ethics implies tact and respect towards others; following these norms makes a person’s life acceptable in society, without condemnation or persecution.
Who set these standards?
Almost all socially adapted groups, castes and nations take as a guide the basic commandments of the religion they profess, or the teachings of authoritative sages.
For example, if a person is a believer, then he chooses the Bible, Koran or Bhagavad Gita as a spiritual guide, and if an atheist, then he may well follow the teachings of Confucius or Stephen Hawking.
What does an immoral life give?
What are spiritual and moral guidelines for a person who goes against the rules of the system and does not want to live according to generally accepted commandments? After all, there are nihilists who deny everyone and everything, are they happy in their little world, which is very limited by their desperate protest. Some include anarchists among them, but the latter only deny the power of man over another being; they fully accept the dominance of moral norms.
The life of such people is actually sad, and in their declining years, most of them still turn their gaze to the moral values already comprehended by other people and the actions associated with them, thereby proving that the spiritual component is a powerful backbone of every outstanding society.
Moral guidelines for human activity. Morality is a set of rules, norms of behavior that regulate and direct the activities of people. Morality is a form of normative-evaluative orientation of an individual, communities in behavior and spiritual life, mutual perception and self-perception of people. Morality is a historically established set of unwritten laws, norms, and rules. Morality is the norms of consciousness. Morality is the implementation of the norms of consciousness in life, in the practical behavior of people. Ethics is the science of morality and ethics. “The Golden Rule of Morality”: - “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” The categorical imperative (Immanuel Kant) is an unconditional, compulsory requirement (command), not allowing objections, obligatory for all people, regardless of their origin, position, circumstances. Functions of morality: 1. Evaluative - assessment through the prism of good and evil, justice and injustice. 2. Cognitive - through the assessments of others, one comes to know oneself as an individual. 3. Worldview - through a system of values, morality conveys ideological attitudes. 4. Educational - the individual learns to do good deeds and condemn bad ones, external norms gradually turn into internal regulators of behavior: conscience, shame, duty, etc. Categories of morality: 1. Good - everything morally positive, that which is not evil and accompanies happiness. 2. Justice is a measure of correspondence between the actual content of various actions and their assessment in public opinion from the standpoint of what is proper. 3. Duty is a moral task. 4. Shame is an internal control mechanism, a person’s awareness of his inconsistency with accepted norms or the expectations of others. 5. Conscience is a person’s assessment of his actions. 6. Freedom is the human right to independence of inner spiritual life and the opportunity to determine one’s own beliefs. (“Freedom of conscience”, freedom of religion and organized worship) 7. Mercy – a compassionate, friendly, caring, loving attitude towards another person, the desire to help everyone in need. 8. Happiness is satisfaction with one’s life, experience and awareness of beauty and truth. 1 Happiness and pleasure are interconnected states of the human soul. Pleasure (enjoyment) is a feeling and experience that accompanies the satisfaction of needs and interests. Hedonism (pleasure) is a system of views and lifestyle, which is based on the idea that the desire for pleasure and aversion from suffering is the root meaning of human actions, the real basis of happiness. Hedonism is the ethics of pleasure, its basic principles: 1. “Pleasure is the goal of life, and everything that gives pleasure and leads to it is good.” 2. “Act in such a way as to experience as much pleasure as possible.” A person is born a hedonist (a child’s pleasures in feeding, rocking, the warmth of mother’s hands, affection, playing, etc.), but as a person grows up, he increasingly has to face restrictions and learn that any pleasure, a happy state comes at the cost of great expenses and effort. This requires a person to control his desire for pleasure and the ability to tolerate displeasure. An extreme form of hedonism (“pleasure at any cost”) leads to violence and cruelty. Limits of hedonism: 1. Society prohibits enjoying one at the expense of everyone. 2. Endless pleasures sooner or later lead to satiety. One of the forms of manifestation of hedonism is adventurism and a thirst for risky adventures. If adventure is a form of private life, then there is no great harm to society. But in history there are many great adventurers who carried out destructive raids on entire countries and continents. (Pirates). Reasonable hedonism can be not only tolerated, but also encouraged by society if it turns into the engine of creativity, art, and science. (The process of writing a book, composing a symphony, developing scientific theory brings maximum pleasure to a person). Hedonism from a biological and psychophysiological point of view is invaluable, because contributes to the reduction and extinction of internal tension (physical and mental), helps restore the vital functions of the body. Moral categories are characterized by the following concepts: 1. Moral standards. 2. Moral values. 3. Moral qualities. 4. Moral principles. 5. Moral ideals. Moral categories are positive and negative: 1. Good and evil. 2. Virtue and vice, etc. 2 The paradox of virtue lies in the gap between knowledge and action: people in general know what virtue is, but many (and sometimes most) act viciously. We demand virtue from others, but when it comes to ourselves, we act not in the way that is right, but in the way that pleases us. A moral ideal is a specification for given historical, cultural, social conditions of ideas about good and evil, duty, conscience and other moral concepts. Moral choice is the most optimal way to practically affirm the highest moral values in a specific life situation. Value is the positive or negative significance of objects in the surrounding world for a person, social group, society as a whole. Values (in the broad sense of the word) are generalized, stable ideas about something as preferred, as a good, i.e. about what meets some needs, interests, intentions, goals, plans of a person. 7 fundamental values: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Benefit, Dominion, Justice, Freedom. 1. Social sphere- Justice. (Equality, brotherhood, collectivism, friendship, exchange, cooperation are based on justice). 2. Economic sphere – Benefit. (Profit, benefit, etc.) 3. Political sphere - Dominance. (Struggle for power, leadership, career, etc.). 4. Spiritual sphere – Truth, Beauty, Good. (Science is built around truth, religion - around goodness, culture and art - around beauty, education - at the intersection of goodness and truth). Freedom is a state common to all, a value common to all. (A value needed by all people in all areas). Values can coexist and enter into an alliance. (Striving for profit and dominance). Spirituality is a person’s appeal to higher values - to an ideal, as a person’s conscious desire to improve himself, to bring his life closer to this ideal, to become spiritual. The main features of morality: 1. Universality. 2. Voluntariness. 3
Moral guidelines are understood as norms and rules of life and behavior that are designed to protect human interests.
Let us reveal the essence of morality, morality as generic concepts. Morality - rules that determine behavior, spiritual and mental qualities, necessary for a person in society, as well as the implementation of these rules, behavior (S.I. Ozhegov).
In the short dictionary of philosophy, the concept of morality is equated to the concept of morality. “Morality (Latin mores - mores) - norms, principles, rules of behavior of people, as well as human behavior itself (motives of actions, results of activities), feelings, judgments, which express the normative regulation of people’s relations with each other and the social whole (collective , class, people, society)".
We can talk about a person’s morality only when he behaves morally due to internal motivation (need), when his own views and beliefs act as control. The development of such views and beliefs and the corresponding habits of behavior constitute the essence of moral education.
A person’s morality is usually judged by his behavior, but behavior is a very broad concept and covers all aspects of a person’s life. Therefore, to reveal its moral essence, it is necessary to identify some smallest unit that would preserve the properties of the whole. The smallest unit of behavior can be an act.
Moral consciousness largely determines the moral behavior, deeds and actions of an individual; in turn, only real moral practice is a criterion for the truth of moral attitudes of consciousness. For example, the category of debt and its awareness by an individual can only be verified by practice. A simple understanding of what should be, not supported by corresponding real actions, is an empty phrase. Thus, while declaring his commitment to the requirements of his official duty, the young officer at the same time refuses to go on assignment to a remote or “hot” spot, although he, of course, understands that thereby he comes into conflict with his statements.
Duty is a requirement of society, a collective; what is desired is an attribute of the individual. It is important to realize that, ultimately, duty works to achieve what you want, and what you want, when understood correctly, leads to more successful fulfillment of duty. A person with a highly developed sense of duty can rise above his subjective desires and passions. Submit your entire self to the demands of duty, which seem to dissolve everything personal. As a result, what should become an indestructible desire turns from an external into an internal motivation of the individual. The discord between duty and aspirations and temptations of the individual, between duty and the sense of self-preservation, leads not only to the failure of the assigned task, but also to the most serious consequences for a law enforcement officer, including death. A spoiled life can be the price of a moment’s doubt and the need to fulfill one’s official duty, in the justice of the assigned task.
Morality covers almost all relationships between people, their relationship to the state and society. The same requirements that the state and society impose on a person in his daily life are reflected and reinforced by morality in the norms of community life that correspond to a certain ideal. Moral norms, perceived by a person, become his inner motivation, take possession of feelings, and acquire the force of habit. Public morality contributes to the further strengthening of social and political system, forms an active personality. In the process of personality formation, it is influenced by the evaluative and normative side of morality. If the evaluative side is concentrated in goodness and justice, then the normative side is mainly in duty. Debt is the focal point through which the entire aggregate moral standards is directly related to the practical activities of people. In this focus, the original and the derivative, the evaluative and the normative, the achieved and the promising are combined into a single whole. In it, theory is transformed into practice, the idea of goodness and justice into a powerful material force, moral principles and norms - into real actions and deeds. Duty directly reveals the active nature of morality. It not only gives clear clarity to the idea and goals, but also encourages and demands their achievement. Social duty, therefore, can be called an active consciousness. It allows us to best characterize the morality of an individual, since people and their moral merits and demerits are judged, first of all, by their actions.
A person is truly moral only when he obeys the inner urge to help the life he can help and refrains from causing any harm to a living person. For him, life as such is sacred. He will not tear a leaf from a tree, will not break a single flower, will not crush a single insect. When in the summer he works at night by a lamp, he prefers to close the window and sit in the stuffiness, so as not to see a single butterfly that has fallen with burnt wings on his table.
IN this study We pay our main attention to the formation of such a moral guideline as following the principles of kindness in behavior. Let's take a closer look at kindness as an ethical concept.
Kindness is treating others favorably.
A good deed is understood as any action or state of a person that expresses goodwill towards another, but any action or state becomes an act only if it is considered in connection with the goals, motives and intentions of the individual that give rise to it. At the same time, both the actions or states themselves and the motives and goals that give rise to them must be moral. Thus, behavior is understood as the totality of a person’s actions, highlighting external actions and the internal conditioning of actions, that is, their motivation and experience.
Having analyzed this issue, we can come to the conclusion that the main criteria of a person’s morality can be his beliefs, moral principles, value orientations, as well as actions towards loved ones and strangers. It follows that a person for whom the norms, rules and requirements of morality act as his own views and beliefs (motives), as habitual forms of behavior, should be considered moral.
Habitual behavior is formed by repeated actions. It consistently allows a person, under the same, similar conditions, to always act as needed.
The basic category for the formation of moral guidelines is the concept of “humane feelings”, i.e. emotional experience of real humane relationships and interactions. The teacher’s appeal to humane feelings, such as a sense of kindness, sympathy, compassion, mercy, justice, sensitivity, responsiveness, empathy, pity, provides information about the moral maturity of the student. Once formed, a humane feeling is not isolated in the structure of the personality, but is closely connected with other humane feelings, thereby creating the prerequisites for the process of their further integration.
Several people are involved in the continuous formation of moral guidelines as an integrative quality of the individual. social institutions. The first teachers are parents, who are obliged to lay the foundations for the physical, intellectual and moral education of the child. At the next stages of the child’s development, the family is helped by a network of preschool institutions, where the good feelings inherent in the family are reinforced and behavioral experience is accumulated.
