You know what they say about right and wrong—it’s not always black and white. Sometimes situations arise that challenge our moral codes and force us to make difficult choices. What may seem objectionable or unethical to one person could be perfectly reasonable to another based on their unique circumstances and experiences. When we encounter these moral gray areas in life, it’s an opportunity to open our minds and try to understand different perspectives.
In this article, we’ll explore a few thought-provoking examples of subjective morality. These are situations where there are compelling arguments on both sides, and reasonable people can disagree on the right course of action. As you read through each example, ask yourself how you might respond if confronted with a similar situation. You may find your views evolving or becoming more open to alternate viewpoints. While the answers aren’t always clear, discussing moral dilemmas can help us become more understanding, compassionate, and wise.
Table of Contents
Defining subjective morality
Defining subjective morality means understanding that not all ethical decisions have a clear right or wrong answer. Sometimes two morally justifiable options can contradict each other, forcing us to weigh them carefully.
For example, you discover a friend has stolen money from their employer. While honesty and loyalty are both virtues, reporting the crime could damage your relationship and cause them hardship. However, staying silent makes you complicit in wrongdoing. There are merits to both choices, so you must determine which does the least harm.
In other cases, cultural values come into play. What is virtuous in one society may be taboo in another. For instance, some cultures prize individualism while others emphasize community. Acts that prioritize one over the other can be morally complex, depending on your viewpoint.
When right and wrong collide, subjective morality means acknowledging the nuances in each situation. We can’t rely on absolutes but instead must reason through the specifics of each scenario. Though not always easy, navigating these ambiguities is key to making ethical decisions.
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Subjective Morality Examples
Subjective morality is the view that moral judgments are based on personal preferences, feelings, or opinions rather than on objective facts or universal principles. Some examples of subjective morality are:
1. Cultural norms shape our moral codes.
Cultural norms shape our moral codes in big ways. What’s considered right or wrong depends a lot on where you grew up.
Take something as simple as greeting a friend. In some places, a hug and kiss on the cheek are normal, while in others, a bow, handshake, or simple wave are standard. Right or wrong greeting? It depends on what you’re used to.
Dietary choices provide another example. Some cultures view eating certain animals as totally taboo, while others consider the same creatures a delicacy. There’s no objective truth here, just different moral codes that develop within cultural contexts.
Even concepts of personal space and privacy are culturally dependent. What seems like an uncomfortable invasion of space to someone from a Western culture might feel perfectly normal to a person from a more collectivist society. Neither view is absolutely right; they’re just different.
Moral relativism reminds us that there are many ways of interpreting the world, and we should be slow to judge others whose moral codes differ from our own. Our cultural lenses shape so much of what we consider right and wrong. Keeping an open and curious mind about different moral frameworks is key to navigating our multi-cultural world.
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2. Situational Ethics: Do the Ends Justify the Means?
In some cases, whether an action is right or wrong depends entirely on the situation and circumstances. This is known as situational ethics. The question is whether the end result of an action justifies the means used to achieve it.
For example, if you had to tell a lie to protect someone from harm, would that be okay? If stealing food was the only way to feed your starving family, would that be justified? There are no easy answers here, and much depends on one’s moral values and the specifics of the situation. Some believe the ends can never justify the means if the means themselves are unethical. Others disagree and think the results are what really matter.
What do you think? There are good arguments on both sides. The debate around situational ethics has been going on for centuries, and there are no universally agreed-upon answers. The reality is often complex, with many shades of gray. But thinking deeply about these kinds of moral dilemmas can help clarify your own values and shape your character.
3. Conscience vs. Law: Civil Disobedience Throughout History
Throughout history, there have been times when conscience and law have collided. When moral duty calls for disobedience to unjust laws, civil disobedience becomes necessary. Some well-known examples include:
- Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in 1955, helping spark the Montgomery bus boycotts. Her act of defiance against segregation laws inspired the civil rights movement.(source)
- Mohandas Gandhi led nonviolent civil disobedience campaigns against British rule in India. Protesters peacefully broke laws like the salt tax and were arrested by the thousands. Their moral conscience drove them to resist unjust laws oppressing Indians.(source)
- Henry David Thoreau refused to pay taxes in protest of slavery and the Mexican-American War. He was jailed briefly, but his essay “Civil Disobedience inspired generations of activists.(source)
These historic acts of civil disobedience demonstrate that conscience and law are not always aligned. When moral duty calls citizens to disobey unjust laws and peacefully protest, it can drive social change and progress. Though breaking the law is risky, following one’s conscience and moral values is sometimes necessary to build a just society.
4. The Role of Religion in Shaping Morality
For many, religious teachings shape moral beliefs. Your views on right and wrong may stem from sacred texts like the Bible or Quran or guidance from religious leaders. If your faith tradition considers certain acts immoral due to religious doctrine, you may see them as morally wrong even if they don’t directly harm others.
Some acts are viewed as immoral by certain faiths, but not others. For instance, views on topics like premarital relations, and diet vary between religions. Moral stances can also evolve within religions over time. Religions are complex social institutions, and moral teachings are subject to human interpretation.
Though religious beliefs strongly impact morality for many, moral philosophy aims to determine right and wrong through reason and logic rather than faith alone. Some argue that this leads to more universal and consistent moral principles. However, for many devout followers of a religion, faith and reason work together to shape morality.
5. Business Ethics: Profits Over People?
Business ethics are tricky. As a business owner, you want to maximize profits and shareholder value. But should that come at the cost of your employees’ well-being or society’s greater good? Some examples of subjective business morality where right and wrong aren’t so clear are:
- Paying low wages to increase profit margins. On one hand, businesses exist to generate money. On the other hand, is it fair or sustainable to underpay workers? There’s an argument for paying living wages and investing in human capital.
- Polluting the environment to lower costs. It may boost short-term gains but damage your brand and community in the long run. Going green, sustainable, and eco-friendly is appealing to customers and employees alike.
- Prioritizing share price over research and development. Innovating for the future may dent current earnings but ensure the company’s longevity. Some leaders argue for balancing shareholder interests with societal and environmental responsibilities.
Business ethics are complex, with many trade-offs to weigh. But considering how your decisions impact all stakeholders—not just shareholders—can drive growth in a responsible, principled way. The most profitable companies often treat people and the planet with the same care as profits. There’s a case that ‘doing good’ is good for business too.
6. The Trolley Problem: Would You Sacrifice One to Save Many?
The trolley problem is a thought experiment that tests your moral compass in an extreme situation. Imagine you’re a bystander near a track as an out-of-control trolley hurtles toward five people. You see a switch that will divert it to another track, but there’s one person on that side track. Do you pull the switch, sacrificing one life to save five? Or do you do nothing, allowing five people to die?
This dilemma underscores the conflict between two moral principles: the duty to save as many lives as possible versus the duty not to harm an innocent. As an outside observer, the math seems simple: saving five lives is better than one. But actively choosing to end a life, even to save others, is an unsettling prospect.
There are no easy or universally agreed-upon answers here. Your choice depends on your moral philosophy and assessment of various factors. It’s a complex situation with many shades of gray, forcing you to examine your ethics and values. What would you do if faced with such a difficult decision? And what does your answer say about your moral code?
The trolley problem may be an abstract scenario, but it reflects the real-world collisions of right and wrong we confront as individuals and societies. There are no simple fixes, only imperfect solutions that depend on our moral reasoning and sense of ethics.
7. Controversial Topics with Subjective Morality
When it comes to topics like euthanasia or animal rights, there are many examples of subjective morality where people disagree on what is right or wrong.
On the issue of abortion, some believe terminating a pregnancy is immoral as it ends a human life, while others see it as a woman’s right to control her own body. Euthanasia also involves subjective views on ethics. For some, it provides a merciful end to unbearable suffering; for others, it goes against religious doctrines or the Hippocratic Oath.
Animal rights is another area where moral opinions vary. Some believe animals should have the same rights and protections as humans, arguing that they are sentient beings that can feel pain, fear, and distress. Others see animals as inferior to humans or as commodities that can be used for food, research, or entertainment.
In all these controversial topics, subjective morality comes into play. There are many perspectives on ethics, and often there is no universally agreed-upon ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. Our moral values are shaped by factors like religion, culture, upbringing, and life experiences. Discussing these issues openly and understanding different viewpoints is key to navigating such complex topics.
8. Individual biases shape moral perspectives.
Each person develops their own moral code based on a lifetime of experiences, influences, and biases. Some of the factors that shape an individual’s moral perspective include:
- Upbringing: The values and beliefs instilled in you as a child by your family, community, and culture have a strong influence on your moral development. If you were taught from an early age that certain actions were absolutely right or wrong, those lessons are hard to unlearn.
- Religion: For many, faith and spiritual teachings provide moral guidance. Religious doctrines that promote love, compassion, and kindness toward others can positively impact moral views. However, strict or intolerant interpretations of religious texts can also breed close-mindedness.
- Education: Exposure to different moral philosophies and schools of thought helps broaden perspectives. Discussing ethical issues and learning critical thinking skills allow you to better evaluate moral arguments on their merits. Lack of access to diverse and opposing viewpoints, on the other hand, fosters narrow-minded moral attitudes.
- Life experiences: What you have personally gone through in life affects how you view right and wrong. Suffering injustice or harm often makes you more sensitive to those issues, while privilege and a lack of exposure to diversity can limit empathy. Our moral values are shaped by walking in our own shoes.
In the end, individual biases are unavoidable in moral reasoning. But by acknowledging them, and with effort and open-mindedness, we can work to overcome narrow or intolerant moral attitudes. Striving for objectivity and weighing moral issues carefully leads to more just and compassionate perspectives.
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Moral Relativism vs. Moral Realism
When discussing morality, there are two main schools of thought: moral relativism and moral realism. As the name suggests, moral relativists believe that moral judgments are relative to culture and circumstances. There are no absolute or universal moral truths. What’s right or wrong depends on society and the context.
Moral realists, on the other hand, believe that some moral judgments are objective and hold true regardless of culture or circumstances. Certain actions, like theft or lying, are morally wrong. Moral realists think there are objective moral facts, whether or not we know what they are.
Both views have pros and cons. Moral relativism promotes tolerance of cultural differences but makes it hard to condemn atrocities like genocide. Moral realism provides a basis for human rights but risks imposing one’s values on others. It’s an age-old debate with valid arguments on both sides.
Famous Examples of Subjective Morality in History: The French Revolution (1789–1799)
The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France that profoundly changed French history. The revolution began in May 1789 and ended in November 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the revolution, King Louis XVI was executed for treason, and a republic was established. The revolution led to the establishment of a new political order based on the principles of “liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
Some saw the revolution as a period when moral and political order collapsed into violence and tyranny. Others viewed it as a time when people sought to establish a new moral and political order based on the principles of liberty and equality. The revolution raised profound moral questions about governance, individual rights, violence, and justice that polarized society and have enduring relevance today.
Conclusion
So, you see, morality isn’t always black-and-white. Sometimes situations arise that force us to make difficult choices between two opposing ideas of right and wrong. The examples explored here show how cultural beliefs, personal experiences, and circumstances can shape our views in ways that seem perfectly reasonable and justified to us but strange or misguided to others.
Rather than rushing to judge those with different moral codes, it’s better to approach them with an open and curious mind. We may find our own perspectives expanding as a result. While moral absolutes have their place, a willingness to understand other points of view can go a long way toward fostering more compassion and kindness in the world.
References
- The United States and the French Revolution, 1789–1799
- Role of Religion in Shaping Ethical and Moral Values Among the Youths in Athens, Greece
- CULTURE AND MORALITY
- Moral Relativism and Moral Realism
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