Topics Ethics

Question In ethics, philosophers spend much time trying to figure out what is moral and immoral. My question is, why should we necessarily be moral? Where does this obligation to be moral come from or why do we have this obligation?

Accepted:
October 5, 2006

Comments

The answer (which you won't like at all) is this: morality can be defined roughly as 'what I should do'. So, asking the question 'why should I be moral?' is equivalent to asking 'why should I do what I should do?' It answers itself, in much the same way as 'what colour is that red thing?'. Well, that's not very interesting.

Much more interesting is the second version of your question: why is there moral obligation at all? That is the question which, in a hundred variations, has been worrying philosophers for thousands of years. Surprisingly, perhaps, very few philosophers have concluded by saying that there are no moral obligations whatsoever, nor any obligations remotely akin to them. (Even Nietzsche, who is often misunderstood on this point, speaks about virtues and duties as well as concepts like gift-giving and friendship.)

You'll find several more satisfying answers among the responses to 'ethics' questions on this site:

http://www.amherst.edu/askphilosophers/topic/Ethics

I agree that on one understanding of the question “Why should I bemoral?” the question is unintelligible. But I think that when mostpeople ask the question, “Why should I be moral?” they are asking aquestion that is short-hand for more substantive questions, like “Whyshould I tell the truth?” “Why shouldn’t I cheat on this exam?” “Whyshould I refrain from stealing if I can get away with it?” “Why shouldI care about anyone other than myself?” Morality, it seems, requires meto restrain my pursuit of my own self-interest for the sake of theinterests of others, and I think that it completely reasonable to askwhy I should do that. (It’s interesting, I think, that few people feelcompelled to answer the question, “Why should I care about myself?”). Different answers have been offered to the question,“Why be moral?” Most common (and least plausible, to my mind) is theanswer, “Because the Gods want you to.” Least common (but mostplausible, to my mind) is the answer, “Because by taking seriously theinterests of other people you will live the best sort of life that youcould possibly live.”

Question In ethics, philosophers spend much time trying to figure out what is moral and immoral. My question is, why should we necessarily be moral? Where does this obligation to be moral come from or why do we have this obligation? Accepted:October 5, 2006

Question In ethics, philosophers spend much time trying to figure out what is moral and immoral. My question is, why should we necessarily be moral? Where does this obligation to be moral come from or why do we have this obligation?

Accepted:
October 5, 2006