Q&A: Morality
Morality
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I saw in several places that when asked, “What is morality?” or “What is the moral act?” you answer that morality is learned from reasoning. And I don’t understand, because the question is looking for a definition of the right act, a definition that would be general and suitable for everyone, whereas it is well known that one person’s reasoning is not the same as another person’s reasoning.
To that you would presumably answer that there is such a thing as what is right, and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply mistaken. Fine, in the simpler questions I’m willing to accept that, for example, “Is it permitted to murder?” But what about the more complex questions, which are usually the ones we encounter in day-to-day life, such as, “Should a student report another student whom he saw cheating on the matriculation exam?” “What are the limits of freedom of speech?” or the question of vegetarianism (and many others—there are probably even better examples, I just can’t think of them right now)? In these questions, people’s reasoning is not the same, and it’s hard to say that someone who thinks differently is simply wrong.
I would appreciate a bit of order in my head.
Thank you
Answer
The fact that this is a matter of reasoning does not mean that it is simple, nor that it is agreed upon. By the way, there also is not necessarily one single correct answer to every question. My claim is only that it is not true that in the realm of morality every position is correct.
I don’t really understand your question. What alternative are you considering: reasoning or what? If it isn’t reasoning, then what is it?
Discussion on Answer
What’s the point of discussing the definition of a word? Define it as the moral feeling or as the universe’s release valve. What difference does it make?
At the moment I think that “morality” means that feeling that accompanies a certain act or thought.
For example: when I think about whether to murder a person, I immediately recoil in horror. That is the moral feeling.
Logic is the second stage, where I try to understand that experience and formulate it in the form of arguments.