Acquiring Morals

            Moral people are the ones who can be trusted with their lives and the lives of others. The process of acquiring these morals demand that an individual learns and consistently apply the taught morals (Newton, 2013). These morals are then progressively assimilated into their lives throughout the various stages of moral development. However, failing to acquire these morals leads to a dysfunctional society (Newton, 2013).

           Aristotle categorizes human into three. The first stage involves the nuclear family level, the tribal stage involving people who have the same beliefs, and the third stage is the state which was added later (Newton, 2013). The individual’s life revolved around these institutions and morality was determined by them.

The advent of cities has changed this order. Members of different tribes can now live together. Previously there were structures meant to protect each tribe from intrusion but now there is an amalgamation of tribes where it is different identify with a single tribe. However, the state aims to achieve peace and prosperity for itself. To achieve this, they have to repel opposition to other states or their combinations.

These developments have led to the modification of human behavior. However, according to Newton (2013), the nature of men has not been altered in any way (p.57). For instance, the desire for males to have many females for sexual activity. Also, the recognition of other groups as hostile has not changed in any way.

In conclusion, the attempt to acquire morals is inhibited by human nature. It is, therefore, a difficult task to try to bring these reformations.

Reference Newton, L. (2013). Ethical Decision Making: Introduction to Cases and Concepts in Ethics: Springer Briefs in Ethics, p. 7, 53-57. 10.1007/978-3-319-00167

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