Choose freely, but don’t moralise choice
Common confusion of thought: that of equating life-choices with morality.
I can freely choose my beliefs, or lack of them. The problem arises when i seek to justify my choice by claiming for it a moral superiority over someone else’s choice.
Similarly, the neo-atheist who condemns all religion in the name of a secular morality is making the same mistake.
In a civilised society freedom of life-choice can be subject only to one moral injunction: that this life-choice is not harmful to others.
Marcus Aurelius said “Life is flux; all is opinion.” I can hold whatever opinion i choose, whether it’s on matters of religion, or ideology, or anything else, provided that my opinion does not cause injury to others. However, i cannot, or ought not to, try and justify my life-choice by adducing to it a moral legitimacy greater than that of other life-choices.
It is the conflation of life-choice with morality which is the root cause of the spiritual disease of intolerance which increasingly is afflicting societies the world over.
The moral of the story? Freely make your own life-choice. But don’t make it a standard of morality for everyone else.
Choose freely, but don’t moralise choice
Common confusion of thought: that of equating life-choices with morality.
I can freely choose my beliefs, or lack of them. The problem arises when i seek to justify my choice by claiming for it a moral superiority over someone else’s choice.
Similarly, the neo-atheist who condemns all religion in the name of a secular morality is making the same mistake.
In a civilised society freedom of life-choice can be subject only to one moral injunction: that this life-choice is not harmful to others.
Marcus Aurelius said “Life is flux; all is opinion.” I can hold whatever opinion i choose, whether it’s on matters of religion, or ideology, or anything else, provided that my opinion does not cause injury to others. However, i cannot, or ought not to, try and justify my life-choice by adducing to it a moral legitimacy greater than that of other life-choices.
It is the conflation of life-choice with morality which is the root cause of the spiritual disease of intolerance which increasingly is afflicting societies the world over.
The moral of the story? Freely make your own life-choice. But don’t make it a standard of morality for everyone else.
Choose freely, but don’t moralise choice