RE: Daily Dose of Sultnpapper 01/03/18 > What hand am I suppose to use? New laws that have taken effect…
Many laws are unjust, for extortion purposes. Many statutes are in place to benefit the authority usually in the form of money. It's like legal bribery. Building codes, parking tickets, property taxes... the list goes on and on. Bribery is immoral and wrong.
Things like speaking your mind or smoking the ganja, these are not moral issues, but ethical standards. One person may be fine with smoking weed, while others might not. Or drinking. Or driving too fast. Or breaking social mores. Things that are ethically debatable, but not morally wrong.
There are many ethical standards which people hold themselves and others to, but only one morality. When somebody violates a moral standard, it is very clear across all societies. That's when any decent person will say "That's just wrong." It's repugnant. Unless they are depraved. Then they deceive themselves into believing it's ok. Some serial killers consider themselves saints in their own minds. Some societies even adopt immoral practices, like cannibalism or euthanasia. These practices are justified by saying they're for the "greater good". That greater good is referring to the universal moral standard. The only way an immoral practice can be accepted in a society, is if a society accepts them as an absolute moral standard.
Civilization can adapt to all sorts of changing and relativistic ethical standards, but once morality becomes subjective to the individual, civilization will begin crumbling back to barbarism. @ironshield
I agree with your comment that "many laws are unjust, for extortion purposes." They exist as big cash-cows for local authorities. But if someone drives too fast and loses control of the vehicle, bringing harm or death to others, then it crosses the line between ethics and morality, in my opinion. I have lost family members because of someone's carelessly driving-too-fast.
I'm sorry you lost family members because of careless driving.
I said "driving too fast" which implies driving at unsafe speeds, but this is a bit unclear. I was referring to people who believe it is "acceptable" to drive over the speed limit to keep up with traffic on an expressway, although it's illegal. It is ethically debatable whether this is really an "acceptable" practice, but in most cases it's not a moral issue.
Being careless when behind the wheel, distracted, sleepy, unsafe speeds (driving too fast), intoxicated, etc does put lives at risk, and it is absolutely a moral issue because it puts people in harm's way. So I agree with you, it crosses the line between ethics and morality.
It's the golden rule: I don't want a sleepy driver to hit my car, I'm feeling sleepy, I'd better stop for the night.
We shouldn't require laws to enforce this sort of thing, but we do. People want to do whatever they want (moral lawlessness) but they don't want to get caught or pay the very real consequences. I think sometimes people worry more about being caught than the potential harm they could cause someone. Laws can be a deterrent for lawless people. Therefore, the more lawlessness, the more laws.
It's the old question: if you had a chance to murder a person and be guaranteed that you wouldn't get caught or experience any consequence, would you do it? The upright person would say "never", the morally lawless person would consider doing it just for the thrill. They would say "guaranteed?".
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. @ironshield