Written: April 18, 2018 | Released: June 27, 2021
What is the scope of morality?
If we look across cultures (including micro-cultures that exist within other cultures), there is a vast number of things that people view as immoral. However, if you eliminate those that are only viewed as immoral because they are believed to lead to other things viewed as bad, the list becomes a lot smaller.
So, what are those things that at least some human cultures view as inherently immoral, that is, acts they would still consider immoral even if no other consequences of that behavior were to occur?
Here’s my attempt at a comprehensive list of things that at least some cultures view as intrinsically wrong. Note that many of these items are related or overlapping.
UNFAIRNESS
- Injustice (e.g., helping a bad person avoid punishment or undermining someone’s just reward)
- Inequality (e.g., causing societies’ resources to be concentrated among just a few while everyone else is poor, or treating people differently based on gender or skin color)
- Abuse of authority (e.g., nepotism, or favoritism, or those in power giving rewards to those they like best instead of those who deserve it, or those who are given a certain position of authority not carrying out the duties of that position, or carrying that the duties poorly or in a self-interested manner)
HARM
- Harm (e.g., causing others suffering or purposely reducing the happiness of others)
- Murder (e.g., ending the life of another person, including in some cultures, animals, or allowing others to die needlessly)
- Genocide (e.g., the harming or killing of a specific, targeted group)
- Stealing (e.g., taking something that belongs to someone else or that should be no one’s property)
- Destruction (e.g., damaging or annihilating things of value, like ruining the environment, destroying ancient or beautiful artifacts, instigating societal collapse, or hunting a species to extinction)
- Slander (e.g., speaking ill of others or gossiping by spreading true but negative or harmful information about other people)
- Subjugation (e.g., controlling the body, mind, or choices of others, or restricting freedom)
DISRESPECT
- Disrespect of authority (e.g., being rude to your parents or disobeying your leaders)
- Disrespect of the vulnerable (e.g., treating people badly or not showing respect for members of a subjugated or vulnerable or oppressed group, or not paying proper respect to those who are victims, or disrespecting people living under hard conditions)
- Disrespect of the dead (e.g., digging up a grave, selling a dead body, necrophilia, cannibalism, speaking badly of the dead)
- Disrespect of god or gods (e.g., blasphemy, taking god’s name in vain, desecrating a place of worship, violating a commandment such as doing work on a day when work is forbidden, worshiping a carved idol instead of worshiping God, not engaging in prayer or thanks, questioning gods nature, or gods choices, or gods existence)
- Practicing other faiths (e.g., worshipping alternative gods, engaging in superstitions, engaging in practices or rituals of other religions)
- Rule-breaking (e.g., violating the laws of your country or the rules of your culture even if those laws are arbitrary or pointless)
- Violating tradition (e.g., non-conformity, or refusing to engage in the traditions of your culture, or flouting traditional roles or norms)
- Disrespect of opinions (e.g., not taking into account the opinions or desires of other people, falsely believing you know more or are wiser than others)
- Defiling (e.g., causing others to be impure, or causing others to take)
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