Moral Relativism

[York Minster]

Just wondering how you all deal with problems of cultural and moral relativism and where your foundations come from? Everyone is socialized into a certain world, and many of us don't break down that world too far. However, when you do break down the walls built up during youth, what are you left with? You can tear all meaning down, but how can you build it back up? If God is not an answer here, what is? How can we really know what choices we should make in our life?

[skyhigh]

do what u like and rest assured I dont give a f*ck.

[Danimal]

I've learned the hard way that you have to do what feels right for you and you can't let anyone, especially your family, tell you any different.
People may debate morality, but at the end of the day you're the one who has to live with yourself. I discovered late in my 30s that my father was a very skilled compulsive liar and that my mother and sister blindly supported his lack of a moral compass. In retrospect, my family frequently used my sense of ethics to manipulate me over the years. On the surface, my father appears to be the successful one as he's rather wealthy whilst I struggle as a librarian. However, my father has also suffered a debilitating nervous breakdown and has alienated his entire extended social network whilst I sleep soundly and am relatively happy with my life.
The fact that you reflect on such things leads me to believe that you're probably a top guy--the people who never consider morality are the ones that worry me!

[raggatwin]

Despite being a homosesexual the relativist philosopher Foucault argued that we cannot criticise the Iranians for hangining homosexuals as the they have their own regimen of truth......

moral relativism sucks, i am an absolutist all the way.

[York Minster]

I guess I should rephrase my question a bit. I understand most people are closer to absolutism than relativism. However, my question is, how do you deal with the existential dread of choosing your own morals in the face of relativism. Perhaps some morals and cultural ways of living seem easy to abide to, such as kindness towards homosexuals, but there are many more complicated moral problems out there. And culturally speaking, there are a billion questions on how we should live: Is it really proper to brush ones teeth? Is psychiatry helpful or hurtful? What is the proper way to eat, no carbs or lots? How much of a private life should I have? What millions of consumer choices should I make in my life? et al.

Even if you go by your internal emotions, that can be tricky. Emotions can often be misleading or harmful. See the alcoholic or pedofile. Many emotions can also be subjective implants from the objective societal institutions outside of yourself (such as jealousy about having material things). Sure, I believe that Iran shouldn't hang homosexuals, and that Hitler needed to be stopped, I have my opinions like that too. But when it comes to simply living life, it gets more complicated.

[Your Funny Uncle]

Realising that it's complicated is half the battle. If you're arrogant enough to think you know all the answers then you are almost certainly wrong.

[skyhigh]

think simple.

[bohemians.]

Its better to shit your life yourself,rather to shit your life how Other people want and Always tell the true how you feel - tell your partner that you don t love him/her and true reason why
Take it from "Onegin" - its most silly "love" story I ve ever heard/she wanted him-he didn t want her,then he wanted her and she didn t want to /and the thing is she loved him,but she wanted to stay "true" to her huseband /because "religion"-"told" her that was right.
I don t remember if Puskin wrote it on some reall experience/sure there are many like that in these days,always were and always will be.And it would be Even More Interesting if Puskin went on with that story - IF O. would kill himself,or Tatjana herself bit later on ,or IF they became lovers later on, or if O. kill her huseband-his friend because of terrible jealousy.
I watched "Onegin" as a film yesterday,so I still sort of think about it. And it gave me impression that Onegin was more in love with Vladimir rather than to Tatjana.Well Evzen Onegin was at least telling the true about his feelings -or no feelings for Tatjana and was at least honest.He should not kill his friend and only because of some bitchy behaving female Olga,who was not even worth to die for,because she quite immediatelly married someone alse.And If Tatjana really loved O. she would never get married too -or at least she would tell his huseband that she does not really love him and that she loves O.
I really liked this film/its from 1998,GB+US I/I like the scene - the silent scene or "crying" when Tatjana brings the news that V.was killed and your own imagination gives you all sort of that screaming and crying.Plus of course I loved male fashion - oh, that long coats -sort of skirts,long skirts ..and Oh God - what throusars with hight waist .Plus the scenes on Neva -skating.And long eyestarring.What a beautiful film.I recommend it to watch itand then tell me if you cried yourself -at the end poor Evzen on his knees,he ended so bad..
I still remember bit of poems from Onegin from school -we used to laugh about them a lot

[Corina]

^^ It looks like you in Czechoslovakia were taught a lot of Russian language and literature in school.

[bohemians.]

you just remember such things,like poems,you do not??..next "PSB Competition" could be poems - Neil s lyrics