Overview: Within this posting attention will be given to an example of tension as culture and the individual is called upon to experience the tension of choosing between ethics and morals. Of course it is a choice between two competing ideas of truth. It is the tension between social construct moral theory and its effects and ethical truth and its effects.
It is but one example of many that could be cited as to how a culture cut loose of its ethical moorings is adrift in a very confusing sea of often conflicting thoughts and thus tensions. Indeed if one views ethical thought and behavior as that which allows for the function of society, indeed it is an alarming shift!
A Shift in the View of One's Choices
In a nearby area a government agency to meet certain requirements had a policy that all newly hired employees were required to attend a Sensitivity and Diversity class. As a part of that class attention was given the Parameters of Culture and to the three constituent elements of those parameters.
The three elements can be further divided along a person's non-choices and choices. Such choices as one makes of course has a direct influence upon one's thinking, attitudes, and thus life-style. The three areas for discussion were,
The three elements can be further divided along a person's non-choices and choices. Such choices as one makes of course has a direct influence upon one's thinking, attitudes, and thus life-style. The three areas for discussion were,
- What you are born with.
The question is this. What is it that a person is born with that is unchangeable? While modern medical science has made some change possible that heretofore has not been possible, there for most people are some very basic things over which one has no control.
- What your are born into.
What characterized the family, sub-culture, culture etc. into which one is born. What is the influence of those factors upon the individual. What is the likelihood that in the course of one's life one can change these things?
- What you choose to adopt into your life and lifestyle.
The final category for discussion centered upon those things that a person experiences along the roadway of life and chooses to adopt into his life.
The question that needs careful thought and discussion is not only what fits in each of the categories but what is the possibility that change can take place.
First, consider what a person is born with in terms of those unchangeable elements of one's life. Included in the area were one's gender, one's race, and one's physical qualities. Except for some of one's physical qualities, these are the things which one is born and these are the things that do not change no matter how long one lives or how much one might seek change.
Certainly there are elements of one's physical qualities over which one has not control. For example, one's genome, the aging process, the effects of aging, injury, and illness, etc. Again this category contains those things that may be influenced by decision but cannot be changed by decision.
Basis of discrimination is centered in this area. In the truest sense of discrimination, it is based upon those things over which a person has no control. The examples would include, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, discrimination based upon impairment caused by illness or injury. More about this below and in a later blog.
Second, consider what a person is born into or one's ethnicity. This category contains those elements of one's life that are part of the early experience and hold some lasting, howbeit not permanent influence. These are those things such as food preferences, one's sense of distinctiveness, language spoken, etc. Generally these are those things that come as the result of one's experiences early in life, possibly continue throughout one's life, but can be changed as one gains the life experience that then provides understanding and with that understanding the opportunity for choosing to change.
Third, consider what a person chooses to adopt. These are those things one chooses to include in one's life which come about because of some experience. These are those experiences that lead to choice, either to accept or to reject. These are those myriad experiences in life that provide one with the opportunity to choose wither to adopt or reject ways of thinking, attitudes, actions, and habits. These choices come as one gains life experience.
Within this model, there is a strong emphasis upon being responsible for one's choices and while generally speaking, there is very little in life over which one has control, one can control his attitudes and actions and in that sense maintain some control over one's responses. That control gives one the power to choose his course of action beyond what circumstance would seem to dictate.
The Contemporary View of One's Choices
More recently that same government organization has the same requirement that employees attend a Sensitivity and Diversity class, however, now the tone of the material presented has changed. The following diagram represents not only a change in content but also in the moral/ethical philosophy that underpins the course.
What you are born with and ethnic experience
What you now see is in the current training course on Parameters of Culture is that there are no longer three elements but two and the unchangeable core has been broadened out to include more than before. That is it now include not just race, gender, and physical qualities now includes what historically was on the level where one could choose to embrace or reject certain behaviors and attitudes.
Thus, included with race, gender, and physical qualities are ethnicity and sexual orientation as unchangeable or what one is born with. Thus the number of items which now may be the basis of discrimination have been broadened.
This interesting point is that this diagram is more a reflection of the culture (mores) than was the previous which tended toward more of an ethical view. Therefore, we might say with accuracy that this diagram is the result of social construct theory or a reflection of the mores of the culture.
QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION
Why was there a shift away from the first diagram to the second? Considering the model of ethics vs morals previously discussed in other blogs,
- Was there a change in the influence of ethical standards? Why?
- Was there a change in moral influence? Why?
- Was there a change in the view of what constitutes genuine truth? Why?
Is not the Law an example of ethical stability?
It can be argued that the Law is a stabilizing force in the above mentioned moral drift. There are two caveats that need to be understood. First, while that is largely true, it cannot be assumed that the Law always follows ethics. For example the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade was more of a decision based upon the mores of the time than upon any common law, case law, or Constitutional Law precedent.
Second, there is an assumption on the part of many that if it is legal according to the Law it is legal according to the Scriptures. Such as in the previous example is not always true. Therefore, one must be very discerning when it comes to the Law and religious doctrine. The extreme case would be found in Sharia Law and Constitutional Law.
Since the U.S. Constitution was framed by men who were largely Christian it reflects the ideas of the Judeo-Christian faith and since that Constitution strongly influences the Law, the differences between the Law and Judeo-Christian belief may not be readily obvious. Therefore, discernment as to which laws are ethically correct is in order.
What is the influence of the shift upon the individual?
Listen to the words of one of the Post Modern camp who though within the philosophy has enough intellectual honesty to call it as he sees it! Notice that this was written over 20 years ago. One cannot assume things have continue in any other direction than his observation.
"With the spread of postmodern consciousness, we see the demise of personal definition, reason, authority...All intrinsic properties of the human being, along with moral worth and personal commitment are lost from view..."
--Kenneth Gergan, The Saturated Self, (New York: Basic Books, 1991)
Implications For Faith
The unfortunate fact is that in a number of cases the local church congregation is reflecting the trends of the culture--in this case Post Modernism has brought about an influence upon the beliefs of and the resulting action. While this charge may be made against "mainline" churches, there are a number of "conservative" congregations that have not escaped the trend. The outcome is some form of a Post Modern god which bears little resemblance to the God that is!
This Post-modern creation of god is,
- A god without standards since to have standards would be to offend or discriminate.
- A god without truth since this god must be all things to all people and truth exclues
- A god without a character and a nature much beyond that of mankind
- A god without choice in that it is a god who is supposed to be on call to grant every wish
- A god without theological distinctive since the standard is what the "faithful" can agree upon
To be sure there are other elements of this god. To sum it up, it is as one person termed it, this is a "mush god."
A Closing Question
What then are the outcomes on the "street" level where most of us live, worship, work, serve, and play?
- A degraded sense of personal responsibility
- An ego-centric view of life
- An entitlement mentality
- A victim mentality
- A distorted sense of personal boundaries
- A sense of resentment over an unfulfilled sense of entitlement
- A notion of discrimination which is in fact false
- A short sighted view of life
- A loss of sensitivity to otherness
- A failure to value human life
- A tendency for an us-them gang mentality
- An ingrained sociopathic view which allows for deviant behavior
- A mindset and attendant behavior which while viewed as morally correct is in reality ethically wrong.
The final thought is this! This shift has been largely out of the view of most because it has been the exclusive intellectual property of academia. However, such is no longer true as those philosophic influences have been taught to students who are ill equipped to examine the logic and content of the belief systems they encounter as undergraduates. Those unexamined belief systems then become ingrained and as they go out into business and government they then come to influence others who are less equipped to question.
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