Question

How important are near absolutes in solving moral issues?

Answer 1

HOW CAN NEAR ABSOLUTES BE AN IMPORTANT SOURCE FOR SOLVING MORAL ISSUES?

From the question given, it can be deciphered that the tern ‘near absolute’ would mean the near ones such as relatives, family, siblings, peers, association circles, society and surroundings. These units are extremely essential for our development and nurturing and turning into an independent individual. According to many psychological explanation, an individual’s nourishment depends on the sources of learning. The above mentioned sources help in the learning of the individual. What a person becomes is defined from the earlier associations. The personality that give confidence to decide what is right against the wrong is also due to the nourishment and the learning process.

On the other hand, the moral issues means the inner belief and preference of a person. The sense of one’s correct and incorrect, socially accepted and violated, or values which one upholds and follows them as one’s life’s philosophy. Moral values help us to choose what is right for us. The sense of choosing the right and wrong comes from our immediate nearby. For example, if one idealizes a group of senior who tends to bullies others and hurt other’s emotions, would learn that and imitate what that person is perceiving. That is because his conscience tells him that bullying and hurting others are the ‘right’ things to do. Whereas if a person grow up in a healthy atmosphere such as a harmonious family, where there is inter- dependence and mutual respect among the family members, the person learns to respects not only the family members but also others outside the family. Therefore it is very important for a person to grow within such a circle of people where one knows what actions will be socially reward and what would be punishable.

However, one may also argue that even after one is nurtured in a healthy atmosphere, one can develop ill-effects on oneself as well as on the society. That off-course depends on the individuals own preferences and likings. It should also be noted that not only a child grows depending on nature and nurture but also his own ability to respond to the various stimuli. It is also the responsibility of the person to select the stimuli should one respond to, in order to be morally and ethically correct. For example, when a child goes to a school, he or she develops a vision of life that could differ from the parental teachings and other vies of the family members. After that, the child develops his peer groups and establishes his own group. There several members of the group come up with different views. These difference merge into a common understanding and gradually the group emerges with a particular ideology. These ideologies in turn helps any individual to make the decision between the right and the wrong.

What one also should understand is the fact not only the known nearby members form our vision of moral ethical values but also the values are influenced by several unknown source. These sources are unconscious to us and we tend to subtly learn from them. They too are important for our development of values of life. Therefore, form the above given explanation, it could be concluded that immediate influences like, peers, school, teachers, parents, cousins, grandparents and other unknown people influence our life decisions of correct and incorrect.