Moral Authority
Uploaded by adeelsalman on Mar 29, 2012
Moral Authority
We live in a world of wrong and right, black and white… constantly confronting situations where we have to choose and decide which path to take. Sometimes this predicament of the human existence reminds me of ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost. What theory of Human Development makes a person what they are? Why does a person do what they do? Where does personality come from and how does it grow? These are some frequently asked questions when discussing the topic of personality. Personality does originate from a specific point, and from then on it continues to grow and become exponentially more complex. There are some commonly made assumptions when developing a personality theory. The first of these assumptions concerns whether one believes that the behaviors, any type of action, a person exhibits are produced by conscious choices and decisions, also known as free will, or "determined" by forces beyond ones control. I believe in the free will explanation, but not the type of free will commonly imagined. Humans do ultimately have the power to choose their actions, however the extreme influence of other factors, such as heredity, environment, and learned behaviors, may make it seem like a person’s actions were predetermined. For that reason, it can be assumed that human beings do have free will, however the choices made are greatly impacted and seemingly determined by inherited basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors.
All functioning societies have a code of morals that are established to distinguish what is right and wrong. This code of morals relates to almost everything in societies such as government strategy, laws and tradition. These understood and shared morals are the base of the community because without them the society would fall apart, morals are part of our lives every day and they keep order and maintain fairness. Although many ethics can be accepted by all many are not.
Would culture or tradition be my ultimate moral authority? Any individual in a functioning society signifies and represents idealism and hope. Every generation charts out its own course to realize its dreams and aspirations in life. Meanwhile it is the perpetual responsibility of the elders to assist the youths in growing up and in becoming familiar with the eternal human values. It is this cycle of passing on the cultural, social and traditional values that lets the society evolve and develop. But the question...