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Sep. 29th, 2007 04:16 pmI tried writing a long entry about an epiphany I've had around the concepts of morality and moral relativism -- how being exposed constantly to moral relativism during grad school made me realize that there is such a thing as good and evil after all, even if Western Civilization has gotten morality completely wrong for the past 2000 years.
I couldn't find a way to get my ideas out, though, except to say that the desire to do good is a basic human drive, not a mere overlay of civilization, and that progressives have a moral obligation to speak up in favour of basic principles of equality and human rights, and fundamental human dignity.
I wanted to say, too, that moral relativism has made us hesitant and overcareful when it comes to asserting that right, and made us doubt ourselves. But all societies have a moral centre, and by abandoning it, we've left the ground wide open for the religious right to assert their brand of morality in its place. It's permitted them to have a monopoly on the language of good and evil.
I tried to develop that, but I couldn't get it out right.
So, yeah. This is all really heavy, so here's the funniest article I've found in a long time in The Onion. Though maybe I just find it hilarious because I was preached to by fundamentalists a lot in high school.
I couldn't find a way to get my ideas out, though, except to say that the desire to do good is a basic human drive, not a mere overlay of civilization, and that progressives have a moral obligation to speak up in favour of basic principles of equality and human rights, and fundamental human dignity.
I wanted to say, too, that moral relativism has made us hesitant and overcareful when it comes to asserting that right, and made us doubt ourselves. But all societies have a moral centre, and by abandoning it, we've left the ground wide open for the religious right to assert their brand of morality in its place. It's permitted them to have a monopoly on the language of good and evil.
I tried to develop that, but I couldn't get it out right.
So, yeah. This is all really heavy, so here's the funniest article I've found in a long time in The Onion. Though maybe I just find it hilarious because I was preached to by fundamentalists a lot in high school.
