Chapter 8: Manifesto
For this week's reading, I'd like to respond to the discussion on morality as a categorical imperative, from page 410. Ge begins by asking the question:
"WHY BE MORAL? WHY DESIGN MORALLY?"
Responding to the question, Ge argues that there is no intrinsic logical reason to be moral -- only external rationals (hypothetical imperatives like religion, social contract, promoting happiness, etc.) -- perhaps making morality and end-in-itself. I was initially confused by this proposal, since morality has been repeatedly rationalized with, and may have even begun from, hypothetical imperatives. Psychologists and neuroscientists have argued that certain elements of morality (like cooperation/peacefulness) emerged as a means to survival through natural selection. And in many of the largest religions throughout history (like Christianity and Islam), morality is a means to avoid punishment or receive a reward. In these cases, one could see morality as a means-to-an-end, since there's an external motivation (e.g. survival, happiness, heaven, etc.) for our pursuit of it.
But Ge later mentions that "while human morality might be grounded in reason, it arises from aesthetic judgement" and that "we are moved toward [morality] by... a deep sense that being moral aligns with what we hold to be beautiful and just." In this sense, I completely see how morality can also be an end-in-itself. As much as humans may use morality as a means-to-an-end, we also find a sense of value or in actions that we see as moral/just. For example, a person could rescue a kitten out of tree to show others that they are a caring person and improve their social status, or to prove to God that they are a good person. But I would guess that most of the time, people rescue kittens out of trees because they would feel personally fulfilled about saving the kitten.
However, different people value different things, which means some people may not value morality as an end-in-itself. A classic example of different values is the red pill vs. the blue pill from the matrix -- some people would value their happy life over a horrifying truth, whereas others would choose the truth, even if it means sacrificing everything. Truth and happiness are both ends-in-themselves, but the amount of value that people assign to each is different depending on the person. In the same way, people may assign different value to morality as an end-in-itself. I hope that humanity values morality highly, as both an end-in-itself, and a means to our flourishing as a species.
