by Sam Batara (2002) University of Asia and the Pacific
In everyday discourse morality refers simply to the norms of right and
wrong conduct. But what is meant by moral right and wrong? Whose criteria shall be used to judge the wrongness of actions? Individuals treat some forms of social behavior as moral universals. Other forms of social conduct are subject to determination by local cultural or social norms. Still others are matters of personal choice. Conceptual differences emerge when formal criteria for morality are employed which define morality as those interpersonal behaviors that are held to be right or wrong, independent of governing social rules, and maintained as universally binding. Prescriptions which meet these criteria are those which refer to actions, such as hitting and hurting, stealing, slander, which have an impact on the welfare of others. Accordingly, concepts of morality underscore conceptions of justice, rights and welfare. Morality, then, may be defined as one's concepts, reasoning, and actions, which pertain to the welfare, rights and fair treatment of persons and, to some extent, the rest of creation.
Morality, defined in terms of justice, welfare, and rights, can be
distinguished from concepts of social conventions. Conventions are collectively determined standards of conduct particular to a given social group. Conventions established by social systems, such as norms or standards of dress, how people should address one another, table manners and so forth, derive their status as correct or incorrect forms of conduct from their inclusion within a particular shared system of meaning and social interaction. The particular acts in and of themselves have no prescriptive force in that different or even opposite norms (e.g., dresses for men, pants for women) could be established to achieve the same symbolic or regulatory function (e.g., distinguishing men from women). The importance of conventions lies in the function they serve to coordinate social interaction and discourse within social systems. Social conventions are necessitated by the need for order and control in social interactions and organizations.
Violations of morality, such as harming another, are wrong whether or
not there is a governing rule in effect. Moral judgments of wrongness can be generalized as universally true to members of other cultures or groups which 1 may not have norms regarding such actions. Conventions, on the other hand, are viewed as binding only within the context of an existing social norm, and only for participating members within a given social group.
It can safely be assumed that a wide variety of world cultures
differentiate between matters of morality and convention. The same can be said of conceptions of religious rules. Observant religious groups may judge certain religious norms (e.g., day of worship, work on the Sabbath, baptism, circumcision, wearing of head coverings, women leading worship services, or appropriate food) in conventional terms in that they regard these as contingent on religious authority or the word of God, and as particular to their religion. In contrast, moral issues (e.g., stealing, hitting, slander, and killing) are regarded as wrong to do, independent of the existence of a rule established by religious authority or by God's word, and as obligatory for members of all other religious groups.
Differentiating what is moral from what is socially "proper," educators
should focus discussions on questions of how best to develop children's moral understandings (i.e., concepts of welfare and fairness), and their tendencies to act in accord with such moral principles, rather than being captured by heated arguments over which set of local conventions or religious norms ought to be included within the collection of values to be addressed by the curriculum. The identification of morality as centered around issues of justice and human welfare is consistent with common sense constructs of the basic task of values education as fostering the development of people who don't lie, cheat, steal, or hurt others. These core moral concerns for fairness and welfare constitute the central issues for moral judgments and consequent actions.
Values educators would do well to point students’ thinking processes to
consequences of human actions as partial determinants of rightness or wrongness. An immoral act has lasting effects that violate human nature and destroys life, of both victim and, especially, actor, either instantly or gradually. Any deed that goes against the dignity of the human person is an inhuman act. Any action that dehumanizes is wrong because it reduces the person into an object, a state that is far below the intentions of the creator for humankind.