On Morality, (First Article) Whether Morality Transcends Time and Place?

This is the first in what will be a series of posts on ethics. I will discuss, among other things, whether morality transcends time and place, whether morality is absolute, what constitutes a moral action, whether we owe the same duty of morality to all men, where the moral law originates, if we may know morality without God, why there are two revelations in the Bible, whether man is compelled to obey the Law of God, whether man may be moral without God, and how man may be moral in God.

In my discussion of this topic I will use the scholastic method popularized by St. Thomas Aquinas.

FIRST ARTICLE

Whether Morality Transcends Time and Place?

Objection 1. It would seem that morality differs in every culture. The ancient Scythians ate the dead, the ancient Greeks burned their dead, and today we bury our dead. The Scythians would have been as horrified to bury the dead as we would be to eat the dead. Every culture has its own costumes regarding disposal of the dead. These differ and are in constant conflict therefore morality constantly changes from time to time and place to place.

Objection 2. Moral practices differ from time to time and place. Rates of murder may be higher in the United States than in Italy, but rates of adultery are lower in the United States than in Italy. Because nations’ moral practices differ morality differs from time and place there is no morality that transcends time and place.

Objection 3. There may be agreement on such things as respect for property or human life across the ages, there is no such agreement as to what constitutes sexual morality. In Canaan, sex with a cultic prostitute was the means by which man knew God. But the Hebrews condemned prostitution. In some ages a man is allowed only one wife, in another he may have many. Because notions of sexual morality differ so greatly between different cultures there is no morality that transcends times and place.

On the contrary, The Apostle Paul says (Romans 2:14-15) when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law . . . they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. There is but one Law written in the hearts of all men. This law transcends both time and place.

I answer that, There is great agreement among wise men across ages and times on what constitutes morality. Hammurabi, Confucius, Isaiah, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, and St. Thomas Aquinas agree on all the essentials. All would have us be generous and hospitable, refrain from violence, respect our neighbor’s property, and not take what is not ours.

Expectations of hospitality and notions of property change from time to time. When they do change the application of these principles will change as well. But the moral principles that underlie our actions do not change from time to time or place to place.

Reply Obj. 1. Often an act may change from culture to culture while the virtue remains the same. One culture may indeed burn the dead, another may bury the dead, while yet another may eat their dead but all do so to honor their dead. The act of burning or eating may differ, but the morality, to honor the dead, remains unchanged.

Reply Obj. 2. We are all hypocrites. Not one nation, not even one man save the Man, was able to live perfectly moral. We all aspire to that which we cannot attain. No culture is ever able to live up to its moral goals. We all know what sin is, yet we all remain sinners nonetheless. Just because a nation has a higher rate of murder or adultery does not mean it condones those actions. It simply indicates that it does a worse job of living up to its principles.

Reply Obj. 3. Of all moral acts sexual practices are the most divergent. Sexual desire, being the strongest of all appetites, is most able to corrupt the reason and virtue of men. Being that it is such a strong desire we should expect men to deviate farthest from this truth in order to satisfy their passions. But even though sexual practices differ greatly, there still exists an underlying unity within them. Some tribe may engage in debauchery and orgies, but they still must have a system to raise children otherwise they would die out. Though cultures differ on sex all agree that they must protect and raise their children to avoid extinction.