Please discuss the following question with philosophy knowledge and ethics - Essay Example

MORALITY AND OUR RATIONAL SELF-INTEREST TO BE MORAL Affiliation Morality is a system of behavior outlining the standards of what is right or wrong (Louis, 2002). It is imposed upon a culture by society, religion, government or by an individual person. This paper is therefore going to address the issue of whether morality is in trouble if it is not always in our rational self-interest to be moral. It will be correct to argue that morality stands a higher chance of being in trouble when people do not take it upon themselves to uphold it.

A lot of damage is likely to be done to our society and ways of life if people do not uphold morality. All societies have an established and well defined moral code of conduct that governs the people’s behavior. This code of conduct is agreed upon and adhered to by all members of that society. Failure to uphold this moral code of conduct gives rise to the disruption of the social order of a society. This is followed closely by social chaos and social unrest. Insecurity in a society will also be rampant if the upholding of morality is not in an individual’s rational self-interest.

Insecurity gives rise to vices such as theft, rape and violence. In an insecure society, people lack respect for one another. This is the reasoning behind the occurrence of most of these vices. The perpetrators of these vices do not care whether what they are doing is right or wrong. They simply commit them for their own self-gratification. Societies are governed by moral law whose main objective is to ensure the well-being and peace of its members. When the moral law is not adhered to, peace demises and insecurity flourishes.

Morality is considered to have an innate value. This is why people ought to be morally upright. An individual or society that does not adhere to the laid down moral principles would easily destroy this innate value. The society will not achieve its goals and it will always lag behind in developmental issues. The individual will also be filled with guilt and lack focus in life. Reference Louis P., (2002). Ethical theory: Classic and contemporary readings. New York: Wadsworth.