What makes an action immoral?

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Terrapin Station
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by Terrapin Station »

An action being immoral amounts to disapproving (basically "booing") that action, where we're talking about interpersonal actions that one considers more significant than etiquette.
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Alpha1
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by Alpha1 »

Morality is relative and it depends mostly on culture and society of Man. For example, considering some past indigenous culture promote human sacrifices and even some promote cannibalism we can never really say that they were immoral in the first place because for them that is the moral thing to do and we as an outsiders cannot impose our way of thinking into theirs. Although Human life is valuable, its value depends on the culture that will judge that person's life, some may deemed it highly while others not. What's morally right maybe wrong in other culture but this is relative as to time and place. So to answer your question my answer is it depends.
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by popeye1945 »

Morality is based upon one human biology and what promotes the well being of that biology. All cultures are not equal in their formation of a morality, morality in order to be morality must be in a commonality of the promotion of life and well being. As morality is a meaning, it necessarily is the property of biological consciousness, a biological subject. As it is consciousness that bestows meaning upon the physical world, it is necessarily subjective, the objective has no meaning which is not bestowed upon it by biological consciousness. Subject and object stand or fall together. Morality is not relative, as its foundation is life and well being. :) :)
Nine
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by Nine »

Burning Giraffe wrote: June 4th, 2009, 11:04 am
philoreaderguy wrote:What makes an action immoral? How do we know if a certain choice, action, or behavior is immoral?
That requires a meta-ethical analysis of morality itself. Is what makes something moral in the intention, in the action, or in the consequence? Is morality an objective natural law or is morality dependent upon a broader subjective standard.
In my opinion, what makes something moral is in the intention and in the consequence only.

It's in "the intention" because when a man takes a bomb to shield his team, it is morally good even if it's suicide as it saves more lives and is completely voluntary. Voluntariness also makes it morally acceptable to society.

It's in "the consequence" because if a woman aborts a child due to her incapability in raising it( since she was a rape victim for example), then her suffering will significantly be lessened plus a child unwanted by both parents will not suffer as it grows. Taking the child's life is to prevent this greater suffering anyone would do anything to avoid.

Greater suffering is what people fear and fear controls them. It doesn't matter if it takes one or several peoples' lives, I think what prevents the greater suffering to humanity instead of what brings more benefit to humanity, changes people's attitude on "the action" that was done.

Compare the consequence of [1]gaining benefits to ending up in [2]greater suffering:

[1]A certain President orders the massacre of drug addicts for a brighter future, shooting also thousands of clean people along the way. It's for a better future but is it really morally acceptable? How could the ends based on 'benefits' justify the means?

If ends were based on avoiding 'suffering' however:::

[2]An example that better explains this is the case of homosexuals and their discrimination. As we all know, gays were hated by so many people some years ago but somehow they were slowly accepted by society. Why is this so? Is it so that gay people will have the same rights as everyone and they will have happily ever afters? I don't think so. The chase of benefits like that easily fell onto deaf ears after all.

I think it's because gay people have 'suffered' so much and even multiplied so much that the number of these people who are suffering has finally caught people's attention that they began to question if hating on gay people was really morally right. Thus, we now in the modern world are trying to lessen their 'suffering' by giving them rights to marriage and more.

What do you all think about morality as simply anti-suffering?
evolution
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

philoreaderguy wrote: March 6th, 2007, 10:53 am What makes an action immoral? How do we know if a certain choice, action, or behavior is immoral?
If we would not want a behavior done to us, if we were "in their "shoes", as they say, and absolutely Everyone could agree with and accept this, then that is what makes a behavior immoral.

Very simple and very easy really.

Unless, of course, ANY can prove this false, wrong, or incorrect.
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by popeye1945 »

An action is moral if it does not make the life of another person/animal more difficult than it would ordinarly be.
evolution
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

What makes a behavior moral is a behavior that is needed for continued survival and which is agreed and accepted as a right (or good) behavior by EVERY one. A behavior that would NOT be accepted and agreed to as being done upon you, if you were in that "other's" place, is what makes a behavior immoral.
evolution
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

popeye1945 wrote: February 5th, 2021, 4:51 pm An action is moral if it does not make the life of another person/animal more difficult than it would ordinarly be.
So, having to go to work, to go to school, being punished are all immoral actions, correct?
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by popeye1945 »

Evolution, I said more than it would normally be.
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

popeye1945 wrote: February 5th, 2021, 5:25 pm Evolution, I said more than it would normally be.
You actually said, "ordinarily be".

But, besides that, what is "ordinarily/normally" in relation to, EXACTLY?

My life was made far more difficult AFTER I was FORCED to go to school and to work, because BEFORE them my life was ordinarily being far less difficult.

Also, how does one determine what is "ordinary" punishment?

ANY adult could excuse or "justify" their dealing out of punishment onto "another" as just "this is how it is "ordinarily" or "normally" done.

Your definition/answer of what makes an action moral is far to 'relative', from my perspective, I will clearly add here now.
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by popeye1945 »

Hi-Evolution, Normally/ordinarily would mean that an individual does not intentionally increase your suffering in this world beyond what your life might dispense to you, without their intervention.
evolution
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

popeye1945 wrote: February 6th, 2021, 11:37 am Hi-Evolution, Normally/ordinarily would mean that an individual does not intentionally increase your suffering in this world beyond what your life might dispense to you, without their intervention.
I KNOW.

But as I pointed out, obviously MORE CLEARLY to some than to "others", my suffering WAS INCREASED by what was INTENTIONALLY FORCED upon 'me', in "this world".

Some can NOT YET SEE this because of the way DECEPTION is FORCED upon them, UNKNOWINGLY and UNWITTINGLY.

See, being FORCED to ENDURE hours upon hours of BOREDOM to "learn some thing" is perpetrated under the disguise of this is what "naturally" has to happen to you, in "this world". So, this COMPLETELY UNNECESSARILY FORCED SUFFERING is done under the illusion and disguise of this is NOT "increasing your suffering".

This is ALL deception that the perpetrators of the abuse are NOT even AWARE of "themselves".

Just like when an adult physically punishes a child and tells them, "This will hurt me more than it does you". Adult human beings say and do some things, which happens under a 'deceived illusion' that they are TOTALLY NOT EVEN AWARE of.

There are thousands of examples of these. But you appear to be under the illusion that this could NOT POSSIBLY BE HAPPENING, correct?

By the way, the "world", itself, does NOT dispense ANY suffering AT ALL. The ONLY suffering that gets dispensed, in "this world", is the suffering dispensed by ADULT human beings onto CHILDREN.
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LuckyR
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by LuckyR »

evolution wrote: February 5th, 2021, 5:19 pm
popeye1945 wrote: February 5th, 2021, 4:51 pm An action is moral if it does not make the life of another person/animal more difficult than it would ordinarly be.
So, having to go to work, to go to school, being punished are all immoral actions, correct?
What do you mean by "having" to go to work? No one "has" to go to work.
"As usual... it depends."
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by popeye1945 »

evolution, Yes I do see your point, I was disenchanted with how much of my childhood was taken up with public education of such poor quality. So little taught in such a lengthy period. I think however one must look at it as the legal systems do in measuring guilt and thus punishment, the weighing element being intent. To say all suffering is child abuse is stretching the point somewhat, although I do appreciate your general perspective. I have a rather simple formula for judgeing my own action, is this action going to relieve suffering or will it produce more suffering in the world. We are all part fools, intent is good mediating consideration.
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Re: What makes an action immoral?

Post by evolution »

LuckyR wrote: February 7th, 2021, 4:08 am
evolution wrote: February 5th, 2021, 5:19 pm
popeye1945 wrote: February 5th, 2021, 4:51 pm An action is moral if it does not make the life of another person/animal more difficult than it would ordinarly be.
So, having to go to work, to go to school, being punished are all immoral actions, correct?
What do you mean by "having" to go to work? No one "has" to go to work.
Very good point. NO one 'has to' go to work in the Truest sense. But there are a lot of adult human beings who ridicule and degrade those who do not go to work. Thus there can be a sense of, "I have to go work", instilled into the human being.

The sense of, "You have to work", is also continually instilled in most human beings, from early childhood in fact. The current to when this is being written "education system" is largely centered around enforcing the BELIEF that "you HAVE TO work".

Otherwise what are children actually being "educated" for?
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