Or are you controlled only by the laws of society?
Would people turn into homicidal maniacs without the threat of jail?
2006-07-04 05:31:38 · 7 answers · asked by H. Hornblower 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
It is better to choose not to do bad things because you don't want to do harm than because you fear punishment, but the outcome is good, either way.
Some people would kill without the threat of punishment, but I don't think most people would.
2006-07-04 06:11:01 · answer #1 · answered by Nosy Parker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say a person can only considered good because of his own, private, individual morality. If you abstain from doing bad things just because of societal threats, you can't be considered virtuous. Virtue is having the choice of doing good or bad, and choosing to do good.
Imagine two young impoverished boys. One never leaves his own miserable, poor little village. The other boy hitches a ride on a mule driven cart to the neighboring village, where he is invited into the house of a rich man. The boy has lots of opportunities to steal something, but he chooses not to.
The first boy cannot be considered virtuous. He never had the opportunity to steal. As the expression goes, "It's easy to be chaste when you live in a convent".
The laws of society keep people in line. As Ann Coulter quipped, the threat of the death penalty must be working..... Michael Moore is still alive.
2006-07-04 05:45:59 · answer #2 · answered by pachl@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.....Laws don't guarantee order.
And if you ask me when you have too many laws in society, some which can't even be enforced there is a danger that eventually the public will lose respect for law and order.
I am not a good person because of my morality. I dont think there are good people, we strive to do good. We are human and we have weaknesses. I try to do the right thing, but there is no guarantee that i will given the circumstances.
2006-07-04 05:42:26 · answer #3 · answered by D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The laws of society have a huge impact on our morality. In order to be a functional member of society we must conform in some ways to the rules. Those rules are based on a common morality prevalent within the society that we choose to belong to. We cannot dictate morality or law beyond what we are willing to accept or conform to. That's the paradox of being human. Happy Independence Day!
2006-07-04 05:42:41 · answer #4 · answered by johngjordan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is normal peoples' nature to conform to the values and mores of the society in which they live. Even without formal laws, people would still act with a modicum of sanity. There are of course always a segment that fails to conform even with the presence of societal law.
2006-07-04 05:40:57 · answer #5 · answered by Who cares 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think I am as I believe that a person should do all the good he can for as long as he can for all the people he can! Yeah if we had no laws though we would have vigilantes and criminals running wild and shooting innocent people much like in the old western days.
2006-07-04 05:37:17 · answer #6 · answered by toughguy2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am good due to my morality
2006-07-04 05:41:51 · answer #7 · answered by iconoclast_ensues 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋