What are moral standards? Moral standards in society. Concepts of the emergence of morality

2. Moral practice

3. Signs of Morality

1. Morality is both a sphere of social relations and a way of regulating social relations. It includes moral consciousness (spiritual side) and moral practice. moral consciousness is:

A way of regulating the life of society;

By way of social continuity;

The spiritual side of morality (principles, feelings, experiences, etc.);

The combined experience of people.

The regulation of social life occurs at two levels: the theoretical-rational (ethics) and the emotional, sensual (moral consciousness of a person).

The moral consciousness of man formed I in the process of education and self-education and appears in human behavior.

theoretical the rationale for morality is ethics: the totality of ethical knowledge and principles; subjective moral beliefs.

Emotional-sensual and rational-theoretical levels of moral consciousness:

They are the subjective side of morality;

Closely interconnected (this is manifested in the normative-evaluative properties of moral consciousness);

Formed historically;

Constantly evolving (sometimes regressing).

. Moral practice - activities of people, their behavior. It is an integral part of all types of social relations (social, political, etc.).

Moral practice consists of moral deeds (action or lack of action) and sets of actions (lines of behavior). The action is considered deed in the presence of motives and purpose of action.

3. All components of morality contain:

The purpose of moral activity;

Motives of activity;

Orientation to moral values;

Means of achievement (moral norms);

Performance appraisal.

Morality as a system is characterized by the following signs:

humanism (man is the highest value);

the presence of ideals, higher goals of activity;

selectivity in the choice of means to achieve the goal;

normative regulation of relations between people;

voluntary choice by people of orientation to goodness.

Topic 2. Properties and functions of morality

Question 1. Properties of morality

Question 2. Functions of morality

Question 3. Moral regulation

Question 4. Contradictions in morality

Literature:

Huseynov A.A., Apresyan R.G. Ethics: Textbook. - Gardariki, 2003. - 472 p.

2. Druzhinin V.F., Demina L.A. Ethics. Lecture course. - M.: Publishing House of MGOU, 2003. - 176 p.

Question 1. Properties of morality

The imperative of morality

2. Normativity of morality

3. Evaluation of morality

1. Morality is one of the forms of social consciousness. Morality has a social origin, its content is determined by specific historical conditions, spiritual and material factors.

Morality has properties,general for all forms of social consciousness(religions, sciences, etc.):

Socio-economic conditionality of the content;

Impact on the processes taking place in society;

Interaction with other forms of social consciousness.

specific property morality is imperative (from lat. imperative- to command) - the requirement of a certain behavior, the fulfillment of moral prescriptions.

And imperative:

Aligns the interests of the individual with the interests of society;

Approves the priority of public interests;

- at the same time, it does not restrict the freedom of the individual (with the exception of its negative manifestations).

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) was the first to formulate categorical imperative - universal moral law: "... Act only according to such a maxim, guided by which, at the same time, you can wish it to become a universal law."

maxima - it is the subjective principle of the will of the individual, his empirical motive for behavior. Categorical imperative:

Is innate knowledge;

His demands are fulfilled unconditionally and voluntarily;

It appears in the maxim only when the motive of the act is a sense of duty;

Expresses the relationship between freedom of expression and moral necessity. ("... Act in such a way that you always treat humanity ... as an end and never treat it only as a means." I. Kant.)

2. Normativity of morality. The regulatory function of morality is carried out through norms(rules, commandments, etc.), with the help of which:

The activity of people is directed;

Social relations are reproduced on the basis of positive qualities (honesty, mutual assistance, etc.);

The moral qualities of the individual correlate with the requirements of society;

Motivations from the outside turn into an internal setting of the personality, a part of her spiritual world;

Moral ties between generations of people are carried out.

Exists two types moral standards :

bans, indicating unacceptable forms of behavior (do not steal, do not kill, etc.);

samples - desired behavior (be kind, be honest).

3. Evaluative property of morality. Evaluation of morality is self-esteem of a person(assessment of their actions, sorrows, experiences), in evaluation by others and society human behavior, his motives, compliance with moral standards.

Forms appraisal :

approval, consent;

Reproach, disagreement.

Important problems of ethics are the problems of the truth of moral judgments and moral assessments.

The objective criterion of truth in morality is the correspondence of a person's (or group's) activity to the interests of society.

Morality is one of the ways to regulate the behavior of people in society. It is a system of principles and norms that determine the nature of relations between people in accordance with the concepts of good and evil, fair and unfair, worthy and unworthy accepted in a given society. Compliance with the requirements of morality is ensured by the power of spiritual influence, public opinion, inner conviction, and human conscience. A feature of morality is that it regulates the behavior and consciousness of people in all spheres of life (production activity, everyday life, family, interpersonal and other relationships). Morality also extends to intergroup and interstate relations. Moral principles are of universal importance, they cover all people, they fix the foundations of the culture of their relationships, created in the long process of the historical development of society. Any act, human behavior can have a variety of meanings (legal, political, aesthetic, etc.), but its moral side, moral content is evaluated on a single scale.

Moral norms are daily reproduced in society by the force of tradition, by the power of a universally recognized and supported by all discipline, by public opinion. Their implementation is controlled by all. Responsibility in morality has a spiritual, ideal character (condemnation or approval of actions), acts in the form of moral assessments that a person must realize, internally accept and, accordingly, direct and correct his actions and behavior. Such an assessment must comply with the general principles and norms accepted by all concepts of the proper and the improper, the worthy and the unworthy, etc. Morality depends on the conditions of human existence, the essential needs of a person, but is determined by the level of social and individual consciousness.

Along with other forms of regulation of people's behavior in society, morality serves to harmonize the activities of many individuals, turning it into a cumulative mass activity subject to certain social laws.

Investigating the question of the functions of morality, they distinguish regulatory, educational, cognitive, evaluative-imperative, orienting, motivational, communicative, prognostic functions. Of primary interest to lawyers are such functions of morality as regulatory and educational.

Regulatory function is considered the leading function of morality. Morality directs and corrects the practical activity of a person in terms of taking into account the interests of other people, society. At the same time, the active influence of morality on social relations is carried out through individual behavior. The educational function of morality is that it participates in the formation of the human personality, its self-consciousness.

Morality contributes to the formation of views on the purpose and meaning of life, a person's awareness of his dignity, duty to other people and society, the need to respect the rights, personality, dignity of others. This function is usually characterized as humanistic. It influences the regulatory and other functions of morality.

As mentioned above, morality acts as a regulator of social relations, the subjects of which are both individual individuals and society as a whole. In the process of these social relations, the self-regulation of the moral behavior of the individual and the moral self-regulation of the social environment as a whole take place. Morality regulates almost all spheres of human life. By regulating human behavior, morality makes maximum demands on him. In addition, the regulatory function of morality is carried out based on the authority of public opinion and on the moral convictions of a person (although both society and the individual may be wrong).

Morality is considered both as a special form of social consciousness, and as a type of social relations, and as norms of behavior operating in society that regulate human activity - moral activity. Moral consciousness is one of the elements of morality, representing its ideal, subjective side. Moral consciousness prescribes certain behavior and actions to people as their duty. Moral consciousness evaluates various phenomena of social reality (an act, its motives, behavior, lifestyle, etc.) from the point of view of compliance with moral requirements. This assessment is expressed in approval or condemnation, praise or blame, sympathy and hostility, love or hatred. moral consciousness- a form of social consciousness and at the same time the area of individual consciousness of the individual. In the latter, an important place is occupied by a person's self-esteem associated with moral feelings (conscience, pride, shame, repentance).
etc.). Morality cannot be reduced only to moral (moral) consciousness.

Speaking against the identification of morality and moral consciousness, M.S. Strogovich wrote: “Moral consciousness is views, beliefs, ideas about good and evil, about worthy and unworthy behavior, and morality is the social norms operating in society that regulate actions, behavior of people, their relationships.” Moral relations arise between people in the course of their activity, which has a moral character. They differ in content, form, method of social connection between subjects. Their content is determined by in relation to whom and what moral duties a person bears (to society as a whole; to people united by one profession; to a team; to family members
etc.), but in all cases a person ultimately finds himself in a system of moral relations both to society as a whole and to himself as a member of it. In moral relations, a person acts both as a subject and as an object of moral activity. So, since he has obligations to other people, he himself is a subject in relation to society, a social group, etc., but at the same time he is an object of moral obligations for others, since they must protect his interests, take care of him, etc. d.

Moral activity is the objective side of morality.
We can talk about moral activity when an act, behavior, their motives can be assessed from the standpoint of distinguishing between good and evil, worthy and unworthy, etc. The primary element of moral activity is an act (or misconduct), since it embodies moral goals, motives or orientations . An act includes a motive, intention, purpose, act, consequences of an act. The moral consequences of an act- this is a person's self-esteem and assessment by others. The totality of a person's actions that have moral significance, committed by him in a relatively long period in constant or changing conditions, is commonly called behavior. Human behavior- the only objective indicator of his moral qualities, moral character. Moral activity characterizes only actions that are morally motivated and purposeful. Decisive here are the motives that guide a person, their specific moral motives: the desire to do good, to realize a sense of duty, to achieve a certain ideal, etc.

morality and law

The relationship between morality and law is one of the important aspects of the study of these social phenomena, which is of particular interest to lawyers. A number of special works are dedicated to him. We will touch here only on individual fundamental conclusions that are essential for consideration of subsequent questions. Morality is one of the main types of normative regulation of human activity and behavior. It ensures the subordination of people's activities to uniform general social laws. Morality performs this function in conjunction with other forms of social discipline aimed at ensuring the assimilation and implementation of the norms established in society by people, being in close interaction and interweaving with them.

Morality and law are necessary, interconnected and interpenetrating systems for the regulation of social life. They arise due to the need to ensure the functioning of society by harmonizing various interests, subordinating people to certain rules. Morality and law perform a single social function - the regulation of people's behavior in society. They represent complex systems, including social consciousness (moral and legal); public relations (moral and legal); socially significant activity; normative spheres (moral and legal norms). Normativity is a property of morality and law that allows you to regulate people's behavior. At the same time, the objects of their regulation largely coincide. But their regulation is carried out by means specific to each of the regulators. The unity of social relations necessarily determines the commonality of the legal and moral systems.

Morality and law are in constant interaction. Law should not be contrary to morality. In turn, it has an impact on the formation of moral views and moral norms. At the same time, as Hegel noted, "the moral side and moral commandments ... cannot be the subject of positive legislation." Legislation cannot decree morality. The morality and law of each socio-economic formation are of the same type. They reflect a single basis, the needs and interests of certain social groups. The commonality of morality and law is also manifested in the relative stability of moral and legal principles and norms that express both the will of those in power and the general requirements of justice and humanity.

Moral and legal norms are universal, obligatory; they cover all aspects of social relations. Many legal norms fix nothing more than moral requirements. There are other areas of unity, similarity and interweaving of morality and law. Morality and law are integral parts of the spiritual culture of mankind. With the same type of morality and law in a certain society, there are important differences between these social regulators.

Law and morality differ: 1) by the object of regulation; 2) according to the method of regulation;
3) by means of ensuring the implementation of the relevant norms (the nature of the sanctions). Law regulates only socially significant behavior. It should not, for example, invade a person's privacy. Moreover, it is intended to create guarantees against such an intrusion. The object of moral regulation is both socially significant behavior and personal life, interpersonal relationships (friendship, love, mutual assistance, etc.). The method of legal regulation is a legal act created by state power, actually developing legal relations on the basis of and within the limits of legal norms. Morality regulates the behavior of subjects by public opinion, generally accepted customs, individual consciousness. Compliance with legal norms is ensured by a special state apparatus that applies legal encouragement or condemnation, including state coercion, legal sanctions. In morality, only spiritual sanctions operate: moral approval or condemnation coming from society, the team, others, as well as a person’s self-esteem, his conscience.

2 MORAL REGULATION: CONTENT, FEATURES

The system of moral regulation includes: norms, higher values, ideals, principles.

Principle- this is a general justification for existing norms and a criterion for choosing rules.

Norms- these are commands, prescriptions, certain rules of behavior, thinking and experiences that should be inherent in a person.

moral standards- these are social norms that regulate a person's behavior in society, his attitude towards other people, towards society and towards himself.

Unlike simple customs and habits, moral norms are not simply fulfilled due to the established social order, but find an ideological justification in a person’s idea of good and evil, proper and condemned, and in specific life situations.

The fulfillment of moral norms is ensured by the authority and strength of public opinion, the consciousness of the subject about worthy or unworthy, moral or immoral, which determines the nature of moral sanctions.

Moral norms can be expressed both in a negative, prohibitive form (for example, the Laws of Moses - ten commandments in the Old Testament: do not kill, do not steal, etc.) and in a positive way (be honest, help your neighbor, respect elders, take care of honor from a young age ).

Moral norms indicate the boundaries beyond which behavior ceases to be moral and turns out to be immoral (when a person is either not familiar with the norms or ignores known norms).

The moral norm, in principle, is designed for voluntary fulfillment, but its violation entails moral sanctions, negative assessments and condemnation of human behavior. For example, if an employee lied to his boss, then this dishonorable act, in accordance with the severity, on the basis of the charters, will be followed by an appropriate reaction (disciplinary) or punishment provided for by the norms of public organizations.

Positive norms of behavior, as a rule, require punishment: firstly, activity on the part of the subject of morality; secondly, a creative interpretation of what it means to be prudent, to be decent, to be merciful. The range of understanding of these calls can be very wide and varied. Therefore, moral norms are, first of all, prohibitions, and only then - positive calls.

Values, in essence, are the content that is affirmed in the norms.

When they say “be honest”, they mean that honesty is a value that is very important and significant for people, society, and social groups.

That is why values are not just patterns of behavior and world relations, but patterns isolated as independent phenomena of social relations.

In this regard, justice, freedom, equality, love, the meaning of life, happiness are values of the highest order. Other, applied values are also possible - politeness, accuracy, diligence, diligence.

There are significant differences between norms and values, which are closely related.

First, the implementation of norms is approved, while the service of values is admired. Values make a person not just follow the standard, but strive for the highest, they endow reality with meaning.

Secondly, the norms make up a system where they can be implemented immediately, otherwise the system will turn out to be contradictory, not working.

Values are built into a certain hierarchy, and people sacrifice some values for the sake of others (for example, prudence for the sake of freedom or dignity for the sake of justice).

Thirdly, the norms rather rigidly set the boundaries of behavior, so we can say about the norm that it is either fulfilled or not.

Serving values can be more or less zealous, it is subject to gradation. Values don't completely change. They are always greater than her, because they retain the moment of desirability, and not just duty.

From these positions, the moral value can be the possession of various personal qualities (courage, sensitivity, patience, generosity), involvement in certain social groups and institutions (family, clan, party), recognition of such qualities by other people, etc.

At the same time, the highest values are those values for which people sacrifice themselves or in difficult conditions develop such qualities of the highest value as patriotism, courage and selflessness, nobility and self-sacrifice, fidelity to duty, skill, professionalism, personal responsibility for protecting life, health, rights. and freedoms of citizens, the interests of society and the state from criminal and other unlawful encroachments.

Ideal- the concept of moral consciousness and the category of ethics, containing the highest moral requirements, the possible implementation of which by a person would allow him to achieve perfection; the image of the most valuable and majestic in man, the absolute basis of duty; criterion for separating good and evil.

moral ideal- this is an important landmark, like a compass needle indicating the right moral direction. In the most diverse, sometimes in conflict situations, not abstract, abstract ideas are needed, but a specific example of behavior, a role model, a guide for action. In the most generalized form, such an example is expressed in a moral ideal, which is a concretization of historical, social ideas about good and evil, justice, duty, honor, the meaning of life and other valuable concepts of morality.

According to I. Kant, the ideal gives the mind, which needs an idea of what is completely perfect, the necessary exemplary, correct measure. Thus, the ideal belongs to the sphere of moral consciousness. At the same time, it has an emotional coloring and contains the image of the most valuable thing in a person, his foundation, “core”, soul.
As a category of ethics, the ideal is a criterion for separating good and evil, it contains the absolute basis of obligation. The ideal lies at the basis of any ethical doctrine. According to the definition of V. Dahl, the ideal is a prototype, prototype, initial image. The ideal, the perfect lies at the foundation of the world.

The ideal can be a living historical figure or a hero of some work of art, sacral semi-mythical figures, moral teachers of mankind (Confucius, Buddha, Christ, Socrates, Plato).

The ideal by its nature is not only the sublime, but also the unattainable. As soon as the ideal lands, becomes feasible, it immediately loses its functions of a "beacon", a landmark. And at the same time, it should not be completely inaccessible.

Today in society, voices are often heard about the loss of a moral ideal. But does it follow from this that our state, despite the complexity of the crime situation, has lost its moral guidelines? Rather, we can talk about finding ways, means of embodying moral values in a new social environment, which implies a serious moral cleansing of Russian society from top to bottom. At the same time, it should always be taken into account that since the time of Plato, attempts have been made to create a scheme of an ideal society (state), to construct various utopias (and anti-utopias). But social ideals can count on true, and not temporary embodiment, if they are based on eternal values (truth, goodness, beauty, humanity) that are consistent with moral ideals.

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1. Morality, its functions and structure

Morality (from the Latin moralis - moral; mores - mores) is one of the ways of normative regulation of human behavior, a special form of social consciousness and a type of social relations. There are a number of definitions of morality, in which one or another of its essential properties is highlighted.

A feature of morality is that it regulates the behavior and consciousness of people in all spheres of life (production activity, everyday life, family, interpersonal and other relationships). Morality also extends to intergroup and interstate relations.

Moral principles are of universal importance, they cover all people, they fix the foundations of the culture of their relationships, created in the long process of the historical development of society.

Any act, human behavior can have a variety of meanings (legal, political, aesthetic, etc.), but its moral side, moral content is evaluated on a single scale. Moral norms are daily reproduced in society by the force of tradition, by the power of a universally recognized and supported by all discipline, by public opinion. Their implementation is controlled by all.

Responsibility in morality has a spiritual, ideal character (condemnation or approval of actions), acts in the form of moral assessments that a person must realize, internally accept and, accordingly, direct and correct his actions and behavior. Such an assessment must comply with the general principles and norms accepted by all concepts of the proper and the improper, the worthy and the unworthy, etc.

Morality depends on the conditions of human existence, the essential needs of a person, but is determined by the level of social and individual consciousness. Along with other forms of regulation of people's behavior in society, morality serves to harmonize the activities of many individuals, turning it into a cumulative mass activity subject to certain social laws.

Investigating the question of the functions of morality, they single out regulatory, educational, cognitive, evaluative-imperative, orienting, motivational, communicative, prognostic and some other of its functions. Of primary interest to lawyers are such functions of morality as regulatory and educational.

The educational function of morality is that it participates in the formation of the human personality, its self-consciousness. Morality contributes to the formation of views on the purpose and meaning of life, a person's awareness of his dignity, duty to other people and society, the need to respect the rights, personality, dignity of others. This function is usually characterized as humanistic. It influences the regulatory and other functions of morality.

Morality is considered both as a special form of social consciousness, and as a type of social relations, and as norms of behavior operating in society that regulate human activity - moral activity.

Moral consciousness is one of the elements of morality, representing its ideal, subjective side. Moral consciousness prescribes certain behavior and actions to people as their duty. Moral consciousness assesses various phenomena of social reality (an act, its motives, behavior, lifestyle, etc.) from the point of view of compliance with moral requirements. This assessment is expressed in approval or condemnation, praise or blame, sympathy and hostility, love and hatred. Moral consciousness is a form of social consciousness and at the same time the area of individual consciousness of a person. In the latter, an important place is occupied by a person's self-esteem associated with moral feelings (conscience, pride, shame, remorse, etc.).

Morality cannot be reduced only to moral (moral) consciousness.

Moral relations arise between people in the course of their activity, which has a moral character. They differ in content, form, method of social connection between subjects. Their content is determined by in relation to whom and what moral duties a person bears (to society as a whole; to people united by one profession; to a team; to family members, etc.), but in all cases a person ultimately turns out to be in the system of moral relations both to society as a whole and to oneself as its member. In moral relations, a person acts both as a subject and as an object of moral activity. So, since he has obligations to other people, he himself is a subject in relation to society, a social group, etc., but at the same time he is an object of moral obligations for others, since they must protect his interests, take care of him, etc. d.

The totality of a person's actions that have moral significance, performed by him in a relatively long period in constant or changing conditions, is commonly called behavior. Human behavior is the only objective indicator of his moral qualities, moral character.

Moral activity characterizes only actions that are morally motivated and purposeful. Decisive here are the motives that guide a person, their specific moral motives: the desire to do good, to realize a sense of duty, to achieve a certain ideal, etc.

In the structure of morality, it is customary to distinguish between the elements that form it. Morality includes moral norms, moral principles, moral ideals, moral criteria, etc.

morality public consciousness

2. Moral standards

Moral norms are social norms that regulate a person's behavior in society, his attitude towards other people, towards society and towards himself. Their implementation is ensured by the power of public opinion, internal conviction on the basis of the ideas accepted in a given society about good and evil, justice and injustice, virtue and vice, due and condemned.

Moral norms determine the content of behavior, how it is customary to act in a certain situation, that is, the morals inherent in a given society, social group. They differ from other norms that operate in society and perform regulatory functions (economic, political, legal, aesthetic) in the way they regulate people's actions. Morals are daily reproduced in the life of society by the force of tradition, the authority and power of a universally recognized and supported by all discipline, public opinion, the conviction of members of society about proper behavior under certain conditions.

Unlike simple customs and habits, when people act in the same way in similar situations (birthday celebrations, weddings, seeing off to the army, various rituals, the habit of certain labor actions, etc.), moral norms are not simply fulfilled due to the established generally accepted order, but find an ideological justification in a person's ideas about proper or improper behavior, both in general and in a specific life situation.

The formulation of moral norms as reasonable, expedient and approved rules of behavior is based on real principles, ideals, concepts of good and evil, etc., operating in society.

The fulfillment of moral norms is ensured by the authority and strength of public opinion, the consciousness of the subject about worthy or unworthy, moral or immoral, which also determines the nature of moral sanctions.

The moral norm is, in principle, designed for voluntary fulfillment. But its violation entails moral sanctions, consisting in a negative assessment and condemnation of human behavior, in a directed spiritual influence. They mean a moral prohibition to commit such acts in the future, addressed both to a specific person and to everyone around. The moral sanction reinforces the moral requirements contained in moral norms and principles.

Moral norms can be expressed both in a negative, prohibitive form (for example, the Laws of Moses - the Ten Commandments formulated in the Bible), and in a positive one (be honest, help your neighbor, respect elders, take care of honor from a young age, etc.).

Moral principles - one of the forms of expression of moral requirements, in the most general form, revealing the content of morality that exists in a particular society. They express the fundamental requirements regarding the moral essence of a person, the nature of relationships between people, determine the general direction of human activity and underlie private, specific norms of behavior. In this regard, they serve as criteria of morality.

If the moral norm prescribes what specific actions a person should perform, how to behave in typical situations, then the moral principle gives a person a general direction of activity.

Moral principles include such general principles of morality as humanism - the recognition of man as the highest value; altruism - selfless service to one's neighbor; mercy - compassionate and active love, expressed in readiness to help everyone in need of something; collectivism - a conscious desire to promote the common good; rejection of individualism - the opposition of the individual to society, any sociality, and selfishness - the preference of one's own interests to the interests of all others.

In addition to the principles that characterize the essence of a particular morality, there are so-called formal principles, which already relate to the ways of fulfilling moral requirements. Such, for example, are consciousness and its opposite formalism, fetishism, fatalism, fanaticism, and dogmatism. Principles of this kind do not determine the content of specific norms of behavior, but also characterize a certain morality, showing how consciously moral requirements are fulfilled.

Moral ideals are the concepts of moral consciousness, in which the moral requirements imposed on people are expressed in the form of an image of a morally perfect personality, an idea of a person who embodies the highest moral qualities.

The moral ideal was understood differently at different times, in different societies and teachings. If Aristotle saw the moral ideal in a person who considers the highest virtue to be self-sufficient, detached from the worries and anxieties of practical activity, the contemplation of truth, then Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) characterized the moral ideal as a guide for our actions, "the divine man within us", with which we compare ourselves and improve, never, however, being able to level up with him. The moral ideal is defined in its own way by various religious teachings, political currents, and philosophers.

The moral ideal accepted by a person indicates the ultimate goal of self-education. The moral ideal, accepted by the public moral consciousness, determines the purpose of education, affects the content of moral principles and norms.

One can also talk about the social moral ideal as an image of a perfect society built on the requirements of higher justice, humanism.

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moral functions.

Philosophers identify five morality functions:

Evaluation function divides actions into good and bad on a good/evil scale.
Regulatory function develops rules and norms of morality.
educational function is engaged in the formation of a system of moral values.
Controlling function monitors the implementation of rules and regulations.
Integrating function maintains a state of harmony within the person himself when performing certain actions.

For social science, the first three functions are key, since they play the main the social role of morality.

Moral norms.

morality Much has been written throughout the history of mankind, but the main ones appear in most religions and teachings.

Prudence. This is the ability to be guided by reason, and not by impulse, that is, to think before doing.
Abstinence. It concerns not only marital relations, but also food, entertainment and other pleasures. Since ancient times, the abundance of material values has been considered a brake on the development of spiritual values. Our Great Lent is one of the manifestations of this moral norm.
Justice. The principle “do not dig a hole for another, you will fall yourself”, which is aimed at developing respect for other people.
Persistence. The ability to endure failure (as they say, what does not kill us makes us stronger).
Diligence. Labor has always been encouraged in society, so this norm is natural.
Humility. Humility is the ability to stop in time. It is a relative of prudence with an emphasis on self-development and self-contemplation.
Politeness. Polite people have always been valued, since a bad peace, as you know, is better than a good quarrel; and courtesy is the basis of diplomacy.

Moral principles.

Moral principles- These are moral norms of a more particular or specific nature. The principles of morality at different times in different communities were different, and accordingly the understanding of good and evil was different.

For example, the principle of "an eye for an eye" (or the principle of talion) in modern morality is far from held in high esteem. But " golden rule of morality"(or the principle of the golden mean of Aristotle) has not changed at all and still remains a moral guide: do to people the way you want to be done to you (in the Bible: "love your neighbor").

Of all the principles that guide the modern doctrine of morality, one main one can be deduced - principle of humanism. It is humanity, compassion, understanding that can characterize all the other principles and norms of morality.

Morality affects all types of human activity and, from the point of view of good and evil, gives an understanding of what principles to follow in politics, in business, in society, in creativity, etc.

Morality includes a system of norms. In the norms of morality, its regulatory function is manifested. What is denoted by the words "normal", "normal", we refer to reality itself. We are talking about normal growth, normal relationships with someone, a mentally normal person, about "normal" behavior, etc. By such statements we want to say something about the very objects of judgments. The term "norm" comes from the Latin norma, corresponding to the words "correctly", "sample", "measure". What is really exemplary, normal?

For the ordinary consciousness of a person, it is characteristic to elevate to the rank of a model of what is inherent in this person: her habits, mode of action, attachments. A person who considers the way he does normal, subject to despotic psychological attitudes, imposes on others his way of life, what he likes, and pursues what deviates from what has become habitual.

The consequence of the transformation of what is inherent in the individual into the norm may be subjectivity in assessing behavior, arbitrariness in decision-making, in directing the behavior of other people.

Well, maybe the norm is what is most common? The way so many others are doing? A positive answer to these questions can be seen not only at the level of everyday consciousness, but also in the scientific literature. So, Kongeym wrote that "the type that in a significant number of individuals repeats most often is normal. We call each significant deviation from this type an abnormality" [See: Kongeym. General pathology. Part 1. St. Petersburg, 1878. - S. 4]. Such an approach to the norm has led and leads to "averaging" the observed facts of behavior, to some average statistical indicator. Consequently, what is often encountered, if it is imperfect, is not yet a sufficient basis for raising it to the rank of norm. The reference to "everyone does it," "everyone thinks it" is of little value in creating norms.

However, such a basis as "everyone does it" makes sense in a certain kind of situation. "If the success of an activity that has a good purpose depends on the sameness of actions, then the norm is how everyone else does it. But there are circumstances when" a company goes not in the foot, but only one in the foot. "Once all the students of the tenth grade decided to leave the last lesson. To leave, as they said, "just like that", "because the weather is good. And two decided to stay, because they considered the departure unreasonable. Classmates reproached these two for the lack of "collectivism", for the desire to "show oneself", etc. There were two of them, but they "kept pace", they won: the lesson took place in the presence of everyone.

To determine what is normal in the most general form, that is, for all cases, is an extremely difficult matter, because for this we must abstract ourselves from everything in the situations being compared, except what interests us, and find what can rightfully be called normal.

Let's take several situations that are far apart from each other for comparison. Here is a situation in which they say: "Lighting is normal." What does it mean? Sufficient for the implementation of a certain operation by a given person. Normal lighting, for example, for peeling potatoes, is not enough for reading - you have to add lighting by turning on a table lamp. A nearsighted person needs better illumination of objects than anyone else. It is impossible to find out what is normal and what is abnormal without specifying in what respect, without taking into account many conditions and circumstances. The normal is not some kind of absolute, independent of relations (circumstances, conditions).

Normal behavior is correct behavior. We will not call alcoholism, deceit, slander, sexual promiscuity, cowardice, cruelty, etc. normal. To characterize the normal, we use the words "sufficient" (to the extent), "adequate", "correct" (when performing certain positive functions in the social sense).

Normal is that in the system that is in the measure of the optimal implementation of its function in the presence of a good goal. Everything that does not correspond to this measure is abnormal. The duty of a director, mother, friend can be fulfilled if the actions are in the measure of the optimal implementation of the function, adequate to the situation and purpose. If the goal is objectively harmful, then the actions of the subject are not recognized as normal.

An objection of this kind may follow: they speak of vices as if they were normal. Yes, they say. "Lies have become his norm", "Pleasure has become normal for this person" - such statements are not uncommon. The fact is that, although "normal" is predominantly associated with the good, correct, justified, these terms are still used in a different, broader sense. In this second meaning, the normal is what is usual for the subject, and the norm is all the establishments that are obligatory in the given group for fulfillment, that is, outside of the goal. They talk about the norms of behavior in the mafia or in another criminal organization, the norms of the fascist regime, and so on. It is impossible to call such "norms" correct. In the first sense, such "norms" are pseudo-norms. However, in the sociological literature, both norms and pseudo-norms are often referred to as "norm", i.e., any group establishment or customary for a given subject.

Morality is normative, that is, it contains norms. But what are the standards of morality? Are such, for example, moral norms as "Come to work on time", "Greet your friends", "Wash your hands before eating", "Do not steal". This question can be answered if we take into account the specifics of morality, its difference from other forms of social consciousness, that is, if we take into account its subject of reflection.

Moral norms have a common feature with other norms - they regulate behavior, but their specificity is the requirement to do good and stop evil. Moral norms include those and only those norms in which the predicate is the term "good" ("evil") or a synonym for it, or terms that, as types, are subsumed under the term "good" ("evil"). Such norms, for example, are: "Act in such a way that your actions create good", "Do not enter into a deal with your conscience", "Be fair", "In case of a discrepancy between your interest and the public, subordinate your interest to the public", "Respect in people good, kind", "Follow duty", etc. Such norms are actually moral norms. Morality is addressed to any behavior, it is related to everything in people's lives. Wherever the subject works, with whom he communicates, in whatever place he is, everywhere he must follow the norms of morality.

Morality does not directly regulate, for example, brushing teeth, transporting goods, safety at work, etc. There are sanitary and hygienic standards, aesthetic, safety standards, standards for the implementation of professional activities, behavior in transport, etc. All these norms do not apply to morality. But sometimes not only non-ethicists, but also specialists include them in morality. This misconception arises because following such norms is a moral norm. This means that the violation of production, for example, norms is evaluated in a moral sense. Morality is not indifferent to the attitude of subjects to any norms, especially industrial, political, legal.

The moral norm indicates what is obligatory for fulfillment. It expresses a command, a duty. Not norms precede good and evil, but, on the contrary, the awareness of what is good and evil precedes the creation of norms.

The normativity of moral consciousness is addressed to itself through the dictates of conscience. “My conscience tells me,” we say when we want to say that we cannot do otherwise. The normativity of moral consciousness is manifested in commands addressed to other individuals or groups. A norm is something that regulates behavior. But not every requirement for behavior is the norm. The norm has the form of a general statement (sentence) that applies to the homogeneous actions of the subject (person, specific group, all people).

Commands that do not have a sign of general validity are not norms. Compare the imperative "Shut up" with the sentence "Don't make a deal with your conscience!" If the first sentence is a simple command, then the second is a norm of behavior, a moral norm. Neither a request, nor a wish, nor a prayer, nor imperatives such as "Shut up", neither calls nor prohibitions are norms, but implicitly, implicitly, they may contain a norm. An order, a wish, etc., may be based on a norm, but the norm is not explicitly expressed in them. The command "Tell the truth" is defined by the relevant norm.

Apparently, norms are formed from such commands, wishes, prohibitions, etc., when the subject is aware of their regularity, applicability to the general in various situations. Having arisen, the norm can be the basis for an order, an appeal, a ban.

What is the relationship between rules and regulations? There are different views on this issue. Some ethicists suggest that they should not be distinguished, others believe that the rules are wider in scope than the norms, and others - that they are narrower. Note that no one denies the connection between rules and norms. This connection is as follows. Rules are always rules of action. Traffic rules, for example, are prescriptions for certain actions. Grammar rules or rules of conduct at a party are provisions for mandatory actions under certain conditions.

The rule presupposes duty and general. It establishes the connection of actions with conditions. The norm in relation to the actions of people acts as a rule. The original norm in some system of rules is a principle. If a norm fixes something as right, as a measure without direct reference to behavior, it is only a norm, not a rule. The norm of lighting, for example, is simply the norm. The normal weight of a person is not a rule, although the achievement of this norm can be regulated by rules.

In the structure of morality, as already mentioned, it is customary to distinguish between the elements that form it. Morality includes moral norms, moral principles, moral ideals, moral criteria.

Moral norms, customary norms, corporate and other norms interact with the principles and norms of law, find in them one of the necessary forms of their existence (for example, the religious norms of celebrating Christmas Easter have become legal).

The formulation of moral norms as reasonable, expedient and approved rules of behavior is based on real principles, ideals, concepts of good and evil, etc. operating in society. The fulfillment of moral norms is ensured by the authority and strength of public opinion, the consciousness of the subject about worthy or unworthy, moral or immoral, which also determines the nature of moral sanctions.

The moral norm is designed for voluntary fulfillment. But its violation entails moral sanctions, consisting in a negative assessment and condemnation of human behavior, in a directed spiritual influence. They mean a moral prohibition to commit such acts in the future, addressed both to a specific person and to everyone around.

Violation of moral norms may entail, in addition to moral sanctions, sanctions of a different kind (disciplinary or provided for by the norms of public organizations). For example, if a soldier lied to his commander, then this dishonorable act, in accordance with its severity, on the basis of military regulations, will be followed by an appropriate reaction. Moral norms can be expressed both in a negative, prohibitive form (for example, the Laws of Moses - the Ten Commandments formulated in the Bible), and in a positive one (be honest, help your neighbor, respect elders, take care of honor from a young age, etc.).