Morality

Morality may be a hard concept to grasp, but we acquire it fast. A preschooler will learn that it's not all right to eat in the classroom, because the teacher says it's not. If the rule is lifted and eating is approved, the child will happily comply. But if the same teacher says it is also OK to push another student off a chair, the child hesitates. "He'll respond, "No, the teacher shouldn't say that."

In both cases, somebody taught the child a rule, but the rule against pushing has a stickiness about it, one that resists coming unstuck even if someone in authority countenances it. That's the difference between a matter of morality and one of mere social convention and somewhat the kids feel it innately.

Where do these intuitions come from?

But of course, moral judgement is pretty consistent from person to person. Moral behaviour, however is scattered all over the chart. The rules we know, even the ones we intuitively feel, are by no means the rules we always follow.

And why are we so inconsistent about following where they lead us?

Morality, trying to achieve goodness through our behaviours, has somewhat failed in everyone of us.

(Time Magazine, 03 Dec 2007)