Essence of morality or ethics
Fri, 19 May 2017 12:42:20 +0000
What is morality?
Morality or ethics is the aggregate of standards or rules of behaviour in society, reflecting the people’s ideas of justice, good and evil, honour and dishonour etc. In contrast to legal standards, moral standards and rules are not recorded in laws, but are maintained by force of public opinion, customs, habits and education, by force of man’s conviction. They determine man’s attitude to society, to the family and other persons and other nations.
The Rise of Morality
Morality arose with the birth of human society. Society has always made definite demands on its members expressed in moral standards. The standards are not eternal. They change with society’s development under the influence of changes in production and above all in relations of production.
In primitive society moral standards were equal for all members. With the appearance of classes they began to reflect the interests of one class or another. Morality acquired a class character. In a society divided into antagonistic classes there exist the morality of exploiters and the morality of exploited. Under slavery, the morality of the slave-owners dominated; in feudal society, the morality of the feudal lords, and in bourgeois society, the morality of the bourgeoisie prevailed. Morality of the slave-owners, feudal lords and bourgeoisie are opposed by moral standards and principles of the slaves, peasants and workers.
President Edgar Lungu on Morality
Addressing the Second Meeting of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 17th March, 2017 His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia said “Government is committed in ensuring that good morals and ethics are enhanced. In a bid to entrench ethics in the public service, the first ever code of ethics for the public service was adopted in 2008. The code espouses and inculcates the values of honesty, objectivity, impartiality, loyalty, respect, accountability, excellence, confidentiality, integrity and selflessness for the good of our country”. (Quoted from the Address by His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Zambia on the Progress made in the Application of National Values and Principles delivered to the Second Meeting of the First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on Friday, 17th March, 2017 page 7).
The Influence of Morality on Society
As an element of the superstructure, morality influences all aspects of life in society. Through the attitude of the people to work and property, it influences the economy and economic growth.
Morality also has a direct bearing on politics; any political action of a state receives moral appraisal, approval or disapproval from members of society. Similarly any political action of an opposition political party is met with approval or disapproval from members of society. It is natural that the people’s moral approval of a political action is an important factor making for its success.
Existence of Two Moralities
At present, two moralities are pitted against each other in humanity: morality of the imperialist bourgeoisie and morality of the workers, freedom fighters and national liberation movements. What is their essence? What social problems do they solve? Imperialist morality which protects the interests of imperialist bourgeoisie plays a reactionary role in society’s development. Its main social aim is to preserve the keystone of imperialism, colonialism and exploitation.
Imperialist morality is conditioned by the dominance of colonial exploitation which divides the people, turns them into enemies, rivals in the struggle for colonial profit. In the quest for profit, imperialism tramples upon standards of human morality. Imperialists and colonialists place their selfish interests above everything else in the world. Extreme selfishness is the basic principle of imperialist and colonial morality.
There could be no other rules in a society where colonial exploitation holds sway, where money is the supreme moral measure, where everything-love and honour, the dignity and conscience of man-is bought and sold.
The spirit of individualism, self-interest, thirst for colonial profit through colonial plunder, hostility and confrontation make up the essence of the ethics of imperialist colonial society. The exploitation of man by man, on which imperialist society rests, is the worst violation of ethics.
Morality of the Workers and Colonised People
The most progressive, humane and noble morality is workers’ morality. It expresses the interests of the morality of the members of society, the interests and ideals of all working people and not merely interests of a handful of exploiters.
Workers’ morality embraces ordinary standards of human behaviour which the people formulated in the course of their struggle against exploitation, colonialism and imperialism.
It is common knowledge that the distinctive features of people of labour have always been straightforwardness, honesty, willpower and courage; they fulfil their obligations to one another, to the family and old people. In the struggle against exploitation and in joint labour they develop such moral qualities as mutual assistance, fraternity, solidarity and intolerance of slackers and parasites. These qualities are the foundation of those simple moral standards which were handed down over the centuries from one generation to another.
Workers’ morality originated under imperialism and colonialism where it expressed the protest of workers and colonised people against exploitation and inequality, the desire to introduce rules of human behaviour based on friendship, comradely cooperation and mutual assistance of people free from imperialism and colonial slavery. But under imperialism and colonialism the morality of the working class, of the working and colonised people does not dominate. It begins to stand out with the abolition of imperialism and colonialism and the establishment of a new and free society.
Labour is the Source of Wealth
Labour is the source of society’s wealth and the personal wellbeing of each member of society. It is the duty and matter of honour for each citizen. That is why conscientious labour for the good of society, concern on the part of everyone for the preservation and growth of public wealth are prime demands of workers’ morality. Labour unites people, enables them to live and work according to the principles of fraternal friendship, mutual respect and cooperation. Hence such an important principle as collectivism and comradely mutual assistance expressed in the slogan: one for all and all for one.
The principle of collectivism means that the main thing in man’s behaviour is to serve society, the collective, to subordinate his personal interests to public interests. Workers’ morality is that of cooperation and collectivism, friendship and mutual assistance. The most important demand of this morality is to promote the wellbeing of the people and the all-round development of the individual in conditions of collectivism.
The principle of collectivism underlines the approach to duty, conscience and honour. It is man’s duty and honour to be intolerant of actions harmful to the public interest, to be useful to society, to contribute to its advantage. If a man or woman does everything in his or her power for society, for the good of the people, his or her conscience is clear and he or she has a high sense of civic duty.
Patriotism, Humanism and Internationalism
The development of patriotism, humanism and internationalism is an important and indispensable condition for implanting the principles of morality in the minds of the people.
Patriotism combines love for, and devotion to, one’s country, to the entire society. Humanism consists of genuinely humane relations and mutual respect: man is to man a friend, comrade and brother. Humanism demands respect, love for man and concern for his material and spiritual welfare with vigilance and uncompromising attitude to the enemies of society, peace, freedom, law and order. Internationalism calls for fraternal solidarity with people of other countries, with all the nations and respect for the people of all other states big or small.
What does Morality Demand?
Morality demands that people observe the rules of society, calls for a courteous attitude towards older people and women, mutual respect in the family and concern for the upbringing of children. Love, equality and mutual assistance between husband and wife, friendship and mutual trust of parents and children comprise the ethical foundation of the family in society.
The principles of morality also require definite traits in man’s or woman’s character: honesty and trustfulness, moral purity, simplicity and modesty in social and private life, an uncompromising attitude to injustice, parasitism, dishonesty, money-grubbing and careerism.
