Is there any reason to criticize another's morals?

[Jay GW]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

[Johnny Skeptic]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

Yes, when Person A criticizes person B's morals because Person B does not agree with him, especially in cases where person A uses his own religion as the sole basis for his moral arguments and tries to legistlate his religious views. In addition, I believe that to choose Christianity is an immoral choice because Exodus 4:11 says that God makes people blind, deaf and dumb, and Exodus 20:5 says that God punishes people for sins that their ancestors committed.

[Coooolo70]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?


sometimes being ciriticized is good, it allows improvement and reflection.

[Johan]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

Umm, when they're immoral?

What do I win?

[Jay GW]

Umm, when they're immoral?

What do I win?

Perhaps an extra fancy prize. If you define "immoral".

[braces_for_impact]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

When another's ethical decision or choice harms another, generally I think that is the appropriate time to criticize the action. Of course, seldom are things easily black and white. Sometimes you harm some but many others are rendered happy. Since such a myriad of possible situations exist and conflict will inevitably occur, we should use reason as our best model to resolve those conflicts and maximize happiness amongst the population.

[EricK]

Whenever criticising their morals seems to me to be the moral thing to do.

[Johan]

Perhaps an extra fancy prize. If you define "immoral".

Didn't you know what that meant when you made your original post?

Being asked by someone to define "immoral" is like being asked by someone to define "ouch". Don't three-year-olds understand what someone means when they say it?

[Kosh3]

If you're a moral relativist, probably not.

[Jay GW]

Didn't you know what that meant when you made your original post?

I didn't make a post about what's immoral and what isn't.

[abaddon]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

If someone intends to murder me, I'd be critical of that decision on ethical grounds.

If they're killing someone I care about (and to some extent that's everyone), or destroying something I believe is valuable (which is an awful lot of things in the world), then I'll be critical on ethical grounds.

[madmax2976]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices? Whenever they disagree with my morals/ethics decisions or choices.

For any who would contend that's not good enough justification, I'd ask them to prove that it isn't.

[engly-saxo]

Your morals aren't supreme.

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?
When their actions harm others.

[curbyIII]

Your morals aren't supreme.


Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?


When their actions harm others.


But your belief that causing harm to others is immoral is just that - your belief, a reflection of your own morality. If other people's morals aren't supreme, then why should yours be?

[engly-saxo]

Society says it's wrong to harm others. You follow the values of your society.

[djrafikie]

Concepts of what consititues harm are different though.
Although there is a general supposition that things which are harmful should not be allowed (which seems to run through law and most societies as a common thread) ideas about what "harm" is, differ.

[engly-saxo]

How so?

[JerryM]

How so?

I think it would go along the lines that some presumed benefit is thought to outweigh any risk of harm. Like in some sub-Saharan African cultures, a marriage premium is placed on clitorectomized women. So young girls are circumcized to make them more desireable, even knowing that some will suffer life-long disability or possibly die from complications. Or in old China, where women's feet were permanently deformed for the same reason. Of course, I would say these are barabaric and revolting practices, without a shred of moral virtue. And I'd be right.

[Tigers!]

Society says it's wrong to harm others. You follow the values of your society.
And if society says to eliminate some, say Jews for example. Would you follow society? If not why should your views be considered better than societies?

[Marz Blak]

If by 'justify' you mean 'lay out a basis for', then I certainly can. My basis for criticising the ethics of another is invariably that I think the promulgation of the ethics at issue will have a negative effect on the well-being of some person or group I care about. So far as I can see, that's at the basis of *every* such censure, whether it be individual or collective.

[Marz Blak]

And if society says to eliminate some, say Jews for example. Would you follow society? If not why should your views be considered better than societies?

'Society' is, by definition, a collective effort. Each member of a society has input into the society's collective ethics by way of his personal ethics.

The question, then, is not why my views should be considered better than society's, but rather given that I *do* think my views are better than society's, can I get enough of the rest of society to agree with me to change the consensus and thus change the society's collective ethics?

[djrafikie]

I find the thought (even though I know it to be the case as can be seen from some of the posts in this thread) that there are people who have totally externalised morals, and will just do "as they are told" terrifying.

It is our DUTY as full members of society to constantly discuss and question laws,ethics and media, not just to ACCEPT things.

Without this, we have an equivalent of hitlers germany, in not in actions then certainly in mindset.

[Kingreaper]

Can you present a scenario where you can justify criticism of another's morals/ethics decisions or choices?

To you? Evidently that is rather difficult.

To myself? I do it all the time.

[nancynancy]

Yes. Here is the perfect example straight from this morning's BBC. A Muslim man from Ethiopa has just been sentenced to ten years in prison in the state of Georgia for removing the genitals of his two year old daughter with a pair of scissors. This man was acting according to his "moral" principles, believing this would preserve his "daughter's honor." As a woman, I am especially glad to see that the American judicial system is acting to help stop this barbaric practice within our boarders.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6108516.stm