modified:: 2023-10-18, 2337
up:: Social Facts
tags::
Moral Facts
Overview
What a society determines is moral or not.
- Moral facts are a subset of Social Facts.
- There is no fundamental morality, it is all determined by society, see #Quotes#Roman State.
- All moral facts correspond to some societal purpose or need, i.e.,
- The strongest, most essential Moral Facts of society are encoded into Repressive Laws as crimes.
- Under Mechanical Solidarity, moral facts may be more numerous, strong & irrational.
- Some facts simply exist for Mechanical Solidarity and have no utility otherwise like #Being Naked.
- See #Quotes#Undermine Society.
Examples
Social Norms
- Informal regulations like social norms or customs.
- Sitting on the reserved seat on MRT is frowned upon but not illegal.
Being Naked
(The original example was stronger but perhaps controversial)
- Moral fact that being naked in public is immoral in this society.
- Is even punishable in some societies as a Repressive Laws.
- Serves no purpose outside "being civilized"; Conformity to Collective Consciousness.
Murder is Bad
- We outlaw murder as a Repressive Laws, corresponding to the need to prevent ppl from killing each other.
Quotes
What is a Moral Fact
"Moral facts are phenomena like any others. They consist of rules for action that are recognisable by certain distinctive characteristics." (Durkheim, 1893, pg xxv)
"any fact of a vital nature - as moral facts are - cannot survive if it does not serve a purpose or correspond to some need." (Durkheim, 1893, pg xxviii)
Undermine Society
"For, whatever the origin of these sentiments, once they constitute a part of the collective type, and particularly if they are essential elements in it, everything that serves to undermine them at the same time undermines social cohesion and is prejudicial to society. In their origin they had no usefulness, but, having survived, it becomes necessary for them to continue despite their irrationality." (Durkheim, 1893, pg 62)
Roman State
"If the ancient Romans had not the broad conception of humanity that we possess today,… but because such ideas were incompatible with the nature of the Roman State" (Durkheim, 1893, Preface pg. xxvi)