The Power of Character & The Value of Virtue

Many people talk about morality without really giving a good definition of what it means to be moral. Some people describe that which is not moral as that which they dislike personally as a matter of “taste.” Some people appeal to the metaphysical realm to decide right and wrong yet there is no consensus among the vast array of metaphysical claims as to what is right or wrong on many issues. After years of thinking about the question of morality and ethics I decided to study the issue. The following essay linked below is my argument for morality (or the avoidance of unnecessary harm and the enhancement of other’s well-being) based solely on reason and science (i.e. that which has been validated empirically). This essay is not meant to replace religion or metaphysics but will add to and bolster many religious moral teachings wherever they overlap.

This issue is important I think because many people fail to give a rational basis for what’s "right" or "good." Thus kids and young adults often end up doing things out of fear of guilt, fear of a threat, or based on an appeal to authority. I should note that this works for managing a lot of bad behavior so perhaps it should continue; experts in various fields of human behavior have different opinions on this. Note: I oppose shaming which is different from a healthy feeling of guilt for wrong doing.

Now, what if a young person no longer feels the expected guilt they were told to feel? What if they then engage in destructive behavior since they haven't developed any reasons not to behave destructively, reasons that help them realize it's in their own best interest to be constructive instead? The young person may not realize that certain actions aren't beneficial to their own well-being and flourishing in the long run, because they were only told to feel guilt and not given any real reasons to be noble. A healthy form of guilt is important for developing a conscience and high character; but if that is all that is influencing someone, and they lack reasons and understanding of the bigger picture of the utility of morality; then what happens if or when they feel less guilt, which happens often in our society? I believe it is the understanding of the cause and effect relationship of morality, the value of ethics, and the power of character that will be more effective in producing youth with high character and a more just society.

Appeals to only authority, ("because I / we said so, and we're in charge") often results in later rebellion from appeals to “authority” and a doing the opposite of what one was told, since the person hasn’t been convinced that it is in their own best interest to be and do good.

When one stops fearing a threat to be good “or else,” the person is again left without a reasoned out grounding, or basis, for being good or behaving ethically.

Now, what if there were a rational basis for being good and doing what is right? What if arguments can be made that show that it is in the person’s own best interest to behave ethically and build a noble character? Wouldn't that be more powerful to teach young people than just appeals to authority, guilting them, or issuing threats? Wouldn’t it be better to follow up a moral statement with a rational argument that’s supported by science and reason while focusing on the person’s own well-being rather than with, “because I, we, or they, said so?”