What makes an act morally right or wrong?

Question

This is a prompt for my paper. I know the theories out there. I know what I believe is morally right and wrong. But, I am having a hard time putting down on paper what makes something right or wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Everyone has different morals. It's all completely opinion or what you're taught to believe is right or wrong. There is no morally right or wrong for everyone. If there is anything that a general public believes is morally right or wrong, it's just a general concensus. In other words, there is no fact that any moral is right or wrong. So, what makes something right or wrong, it's an individual person's opinion or belief.

Answer 2

It's interesting where normativity becomes morality. There are rules and procedures in abstract symbol systems, cognition, natural languages, but we don't classify any action proper to those classes as explicitly moral.

If we need a grounding to our standards of right and wrong we could look to biology, which interprets organisms embedded in an environment acting properly or improperly according to purposes and functions internal to the living creature.

It's difficult to ever elucidate the actual purpose of any given biological system, there are often multiplicities of viable interpretations, and problems with indeterminacy crop up. But the idea is plain; the heart is for pumping blood, when there is an arrythmia, the heart is doing it wrong.

Locating morality all the way down to biology would take alot of work. I doubt it's even useful or possible.

What may be useful is paying attention to teleological explanations in the account of systems of interaction. What is the purpose of moral decision-making? What do the ethical structures in place do? How established? Are there any grounds , such as human nature or natural rights?

Again, it seems a highly contextual matter that some norms are assumed to the point of automation or banality, where others people have the capacity to take a moral stand on the issue, and can be held accountable for their judgment. The salience of some actions over others would not be an issue except for a political horizon.

Answer 3

I think we developed our definition of what is morally right and wrong by a simple standard : If something tht gives you pleasure has a negative effect to someone else. For example stealing a bike would give you the pleasure of having the bike but causes the person loosing it sorrow. I think morals begin with this simple rule and then judgement and punishment come into play and we have what is right and wrong in our views.

Answer 4

theres no certain thing to measure what is wrong or right. it depends on factors such as history, geography, culture, and etc. and it is constantly changing.
what is right today might be wrong 100 years later or in a tribe in an isolated area.
someone might say that human nature is measuring what is right or wrong... but in fact the definition and interpretation of human nature is due to time, geography and majority as well.
in a word WE, human population decide on it... when we change the morality of an act will change!

Answer 5

The only thing that decides right and wrong are people. The dog that you pet every day wouldn't hesitate to eat your dead corpse. Look up existentialism on google if you want help with your essay. Copy and paste baby, plageurism is a virtue.

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity

quote:
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The ethic of reciprocity or "The Golden Rule" is a fundamental moral principle found in virtually all major religions and cultures, which simply means "treat others as you would like to be treated." It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights. Principal philosophers and religious figures have stated it in different ways:

"Love your neighbor as yourself." — Moses (ca. 1525-1405 BCE) in the Torah, Leviticus 19:18

"What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." — Confucius (ca. 551–479 BCE)

"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man." — Hillel (ca. 50 BCE-10 CE)

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." — Jesus (ca. 5 BCE—33 CE) in the Gospels, Luke 6:31; Luke 10:27 (affirming of Moses)— Matthew 7:12

"Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." — Muhammad (c. 571 – 632 CE) in The Farewell Sermon.

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Answer 7

the bible is the most accurate way to prove something is right or wrong. over time society has slowly dismissed a lot of what it teaches and not the government decides what's right and what's wrong. AS a Christian, we don't live by the world's standards. We answer to a higher authority. (hebrew national said it best!)

Answer 8

As we are born with an absolute blank slate of thoughts,opinions and experiences it is the input,influence that shape the questions of morality to thrive but then why is it that all people have the same set of values?In my opinion it lies upon each individuals submissiveness.The question of right and wrong exist because as every ting factors-it is the individuals post experience of their deeds that form their values,acceptance thus leading to their morality.Consciousness leads to behavior.

Answer 9

On individual basis, I believe you should look at possible results of the action. If the action has the potential to hurt any other individual or the society, it is wrong.

Answer 10

search for a list of the moral codes for our society. Compare many acts to this code and then give your opinion about whether it is a good code that will help our society survive or cause us to perish.