Moral Principles Learned via Social Osmosis

[coberst]

Moral Principles Learned via Social Osmosis

I came across this statement “for everything human beings do by intelligence rather than instinct, any course of conduct they choose when they might have chosen differently, is a moral action” in “The Metaphysical Club” by Louis Menand and it stopped me in my tracks. I had to study this statement and make a decision about its validity.

I consider the words ‘moral’ and ‘ethical’ to be interchangeable.

We all have the ability to do harm or to do good to other people; and we all are fully aware of that capacity. How can we know this? We can know this because we are capable of imaginatively placing our self into the boots of the other person?

Young children know this, as is evident by there shouts of condemnation:
“That’s not fair!”—“She won’t share!”—“He hit me and I didn’t do anything to him!”—“He promised!”—“Cheater, Cheater!”—“Liar, Liar!”—“It’s my turn!”

I suspect most of us, adults and children; learn these ‘ethical principles’ through social osmosis (without conscious effort). We ‘know’ these principles of ethical behavior but often fail to practice them because there are always so many other forces pulling us in another direction.

The forces pulling us into unethical behavior are many; for example, ego and social centric forces, self-delusion, selfishness, and especially because of our ignorance and the complexity of the problems we face.

Webster defines educate as—to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically [beauty] especially by instruction. Webster defines indoctrinate as—to imbue [infuse] with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle.

I think that it is imperative for each adult to become conscious (aware plus attention) of the difference between these two terms--‘educate’ and ‘indoctrinate’--and also to recognize just how much of our attitude toward matters of ethics results from our education or from our indoctrination.

I agree with the statement in the first paragraph, do you? I find it I to be staggering to realize this to be a fact, do you?

[Pan Narrans]

First

[ChuckF]

I think I got this rash through social osmosis.

[naturalist.atheist]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

I think I got this rash through social osmosis.

Hmmmm, could it be a social disease?

[Farren]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

I think I got this rash through social osmosis.

Naah, you've always been impulsive, Chuck.

[Doctor X]

How to get a rash:



--J.D.

[Qingdai]

Having a toddler, I can fully say without reservation that social principles are definitely taught from your family.
Osmosis isn't saying over, and over and over again, "you must share. If you can't share you must take turns, if you can't do either we are going home RIGHT NOW."

Osmosis sure would be easier. I'm getting hoarse from all this "osmosis."

[GodPossessed]

I find (having two kiddies of my own) that morality must be developed, as applying to the other guy, and automatic when their own rights get infringed.

“That’s not fair!”—“She won’t share!”—“He hit me and I didn’t do anything to him!”—“He promised!”—“Cheater, Cheater!”—“Liar, Liar!”—“It’s my turn!”

[Alex]

Perhaps a moral sense is analogous to the innate disposition of mind by which children quickly master the rules of their native language.

According to Chomsky, the rapid and complex development of grammatical competence in children, can be explained only on the hypothesis that they are born with an innate understanding of at least some of the structural principles of natural language.

Similarly, James Q Wilson argues that that there are "ethical propensities" which are common to almost all people. In other words, human beings, or most of them, have an innate kernel of moral knowledge or a moral sense from which the mature principles of responsible behaviour are developed.