is morality instinctive or something that is learned?

Question

tell me your opinion!
thanks

Answer 1

It's both learned and part of our human nature but not a mixture of the two. Our human nature allows us to mentally put ourselves in the shoes of others. That allows us to feel sympathy and empathy. Our human nature also loves praise and therefore acceptance and therefore self worth.

Society uses those characteristics provided by our human nature (i.e. sympathy, empathy, desire for acceptance) to train our behavior to conform to the current society standards.

The missing factor here is one of moral authority. Once we realize that society has trained us like animals to behave, we lose our respect for that training. Why should the older generation be able to force it's morality onto the younger generation?

It seems to me that most societies try to use religion to put a moral stamp-of-authority on the standards of behavior that they are trying to instill. That turns into a human effort to twist scriptures for political purposes. For example, it seems that everyone on both sides of the abortion debate is now a biblical scholar.

Answer 2

Morality is a mixture of both - instincts and learning, though more of the latter than the former. As it refers to an understanding of what is good or bad, it can never be objective enough to apply equally in most of the cases. That is why a term 'moral relativism' has gained importance. Some find it a reality while others consider it a contentious issue.

Answer 3

Mother`s inborn love for her child, is that a cultivated one or something that is beyond instinct? Is it moral for the mother to neglect her kid? Very very difficult question.
Going deep into the matter , I would say, Morality applies ONLY when an individual interacts with another , either individual or society at large. An individual has his/her own morality value system depending upon his/her conscience . It varies from Individual to individual and , hence society has drawn up certain guidelines for morality. These sets of moral values are handed down the line , ofcurse with modifications.

Religion gave a further twist to the whole thing resulting in apparently conflicting morality parameters.

Answer 4

Well Mike,
I think it is both, we learn from others all the time. But if you have grown up in a house that has no morals, how would you know that they are wrong? So I think we do instinctively know right from wrong on the big issues like murder, stealing, lying.
But to fine tune those morals we need to be taught the art of right and wrong.

Answer 5

I think its something you learn. Based on your experiences and the influence of the "environment" you are raised in. If you were born to rogues who burgled houses as a way to make money, you would believe burglary was "normal" behaviour and you would think it was fine!

All baby's are born egocentric. They are only ever focused on themselves... they want what they want and they demand it NOW! They don't care where it comes from, who gives it to them or have any sense of what is "reasonable".

People born in war zones follow suit and pick up guns... they fight and will shoot the "enemy" because that is what they know and what they seen going on around them. Killing the enemy isn't seen as "wrong".

I remember looking at moral development when I studied psychology, it doesn't develop until you reach a certain age. I can't remember what age it is. I think its something like 8 years old. At that age kids can take into account a persons motives and consider the possible reasons why someone may have done something. Before then they judge the act and can't think in abstract terms about the motive or reason why someone might have done what ever it was they did....

Answer 6

This is like asking if the way that a tree grows is genetic or environmental, it is a mixture of both.
It's genetic in the sense that we have empathy, we can feel other people's emotions. This gives us an instinctive desire to keep the people who we care about happy - their happiness is our happiness.
Learning morals is learning which things upset people, and which people you care about upsetting. The purest morals would be to empathise with everyone, even those that upset you (ie Jesus), while the lowest would be to empathise with nobody and steal from your own mother.

Answer 7

Morality, in my opinion, is learned. When we are born (and any other creature alive, for that matter), our brains are hardwired for one primary goal: Survival

Go back several thousands of years when the true human first appeared. They had no laws. They had no distinction between good and evil, only friend and foe.

In other words, morality is and will always be something that we will learn. Look at the kids bullying each other! Would you call that being moral? Or immoral?

Answer 8

many aspects of morality, including the most important ones (no incest, do not kill or steal from your own kind, respect property rights within your tribal group, go outside the main living space to take a dump) are universal human qualities. they are found among all peoples and in all times with only the tiniest of variations in local usage.

it is astronomically unlikely that all societies would accidentally have evolved identical social codes: these basic moral precepts must be instinctive to the human race.

there is a fine book by steven pinker 'the blank slate' which explains what these moral universals are, how we found out about them, and why there is a huge conspiracy (particularly in the united states) to stop people finding out about them.

it seems to be working.

Answer 9

Either or...

I think, above all, it's instinctive. Our instincts don't really make us survive at all costs. If you see a truck barreling towards a loved one, you instinctively wanna jump in and save them. Just a rush of blood. Most little kids/babies/dogs/etc... want love and nurturing and kisses and weird little noises to make them smile. They aren't terribly interested in surviving at all costs... they don't even know how to (thus, they need to be cared for).

For some, that's not the case. Some are horrid little things. But most aren't.

People need to be taught to hate a certain race, a certain species, a certain belief... People need to be taught how to **** over others with politics, class, etc...

"Ugliness you have to learn, but beauty you can't teach"... or some jazz like that. I think it's natural to want to care for and about others... It takes years of people telling you that such things are impractical and silly and "focus on your studies to get a good job!" to develop the hardness to find such things insignificant and "survival" necessary.

Answer 10

I agree with those who say it is both nature and nurture. We know that some behaviours are genetically pre-progarmmed (to suckle being an obvious example) so why not some attitudes. This generates the possibility that, in some, genetically acquired morality may be 'overwritten' as a result of 'bad' nurturing.