James: On what basis do we decide on what is wrong or right?[1]
Zara: Yes, but is not all morality relative?
James: Those who claim that morality is relative only accept this as a presupposition if it does not affect them negatively. As soon as I take their wallet and refuse to give it back, they cry: “theft.”
Zara: I suppose that if there was no such thing as absolute morality then the police could not do their job and, society could not function but would fall into chaos.
James: Yes. What people really mean is that “I would like the freedom in a particular area to behave in the way I want”. However, when wrong is done to me, I cry for justice and realise immediately (or acknowledge) that there is an absolute standard of right and wrong which is external to me.
Zara: So, the standard is external to my society or culture, even external to the human race.
James: Yes, we can apply the test of reality. [2] This test is this: because I live in this universe, I must live my life in accordance with the laws of this universe. And this universe requires that morality be an intrinsic part of the fabric of the universe.
Zara: So, in a way I have no choice. Because, I live on planet Earth, I am bound by the lawsof gravity. When I jump up, I must come down!
James: Exactly, except this is in the area of morals. We are bound by moral laws and their consequences.
Zara: You have said that the person who says there is no such thing as absolute morality will be the first to want to cry ‘foul!’ when their wallet is stolen. How can we know if morality is relative?
James: We can also apply ‘a test of reality” to the statements related to absolute morality.
Zara: What is this?
James: If this person really believes that morality was relative then if they are subjected to a real event such as a person taking something belonging to them like their hat or shirt or wallet, even though it’s inconvenient for them, they should NOT feel wronged.
Zara: But of course, they will feel wronged and would want to see justice done!
James: Yes, but we would have to say that their feeling of being wronged is relative, as a logical consequence of their presuppositions that morality is relative.
Zara: So, by facing reality, we can test if we really believe that morality is relative.
James: We could say that their feeling of being wronged is just their opinion, but of course the realisation or acceptance that they have been wronged reveals a contradiction.
Zara: Which is?
James: So, we can say that actually no one really believes that morality is relative.
Zara: So a person who says that he or she believes that morality is relative, would like greater freedom to behave in a particular way in a certain moral area?
James: Yes, since everybody has a set of moral codes, the person’s moral code may even overlap with yours.
Zara: As in the Venn diagram system of thinking? But they still claim that all or certain moral laws are relative.
James: Yes, but that means they admit that they have a set of moral codes and therefore admit that morality(at least in certain areas) is not relative.
Zara: But a person could still argue that all moral codes are obsolete or unnecessary or are just social constructs.
James: Yes but trying to live without any set of moral codes or rules of values is impossible when you interact with other humans and, in all societies, anyone choosing to behave in this way is considered to be behaving in some way less than human or is breaking the law.
Zara: So, we can consider that any physical manifestation of this supposition must necessarily bring them into conflict with their neighbours.
James: Yes, for example, it is accepted that animals like a lion may kill a deer for food. We do not sanction the lion by giving it a prison sentence or a court case, but we accept that animals behave like that for survival!
Zara: Of course! But the human acting in the same way by taking the life of another person without a lawful reason for example not as a soldier in wartime, or an accident, would be considered to have committed a crime.
James: So, we accept that there must be a basis for morality external to this world or this universe; otherwise if there was not, we would have to accept some intolerable consequences.
Zara: Such as?
James: We will have to accept that all those who have committed a crime and have died of old age, or died in their sleep, or have committed suicide, or have died in some way before they can answer for their crimes, have escaped justice without ever facing trial.
Zara: So, we would have to accept that they have escaped justice forever.
James: If you accept that this world is all there is in terms of justice (or more precisely this universe is all that there is) then, you have to accept that there can be no absolute justice in this world.
Zara: In other words, there will be times when justice will never happen.
James: It would seem that for there to be a basis for justice in this world, there must be a hope of absolute justice, where all wrongs are righted…somewhere.
Sources
[1] Extracts from A. Adedapo “Metaphysical conversations: Practical Thinking skills for the 21st Century” Chapter18; Unpublished works 2020. © Adeyemi ADEDAPO 2021
[2] Based on the Philosopher Francis Schaeffer’s test of reality: Schaeffer, Francis A. “The God Who Is There: Speaking Historic Christianity into the Twentieth Century.” InterVarsity Press, 1979.
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