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Moralism is often used ambiguously and in this vague sense it generally refers to a belief in morality for a reason other than religiosity. However, there is a group which clings to this idea and they define themselves as firm believers in the ideology that humans are instilled with innate moral characteristics, a quality unchangeable, only ignorable. Naturally, this group submits to what they call Moralism, a semi-structured belief which denies "religious morality," creating a distinct separation between the two. Furthermore, Moralism strictly adheres to the ideology that maintains that humans should not try to explain what they cannot prove. Instead, Moralists (or Moralismists), believe that only what is proven by science or logic is accepted, and while other beliefs are not accepted, they are not denied. Encouraging human logic as well as earthly enjoyment, Moralismists shun immoral behavior and obscene rituals. They simply implore man to follow his or her morals to the greatest extent possible, and by doing so, not only create a utopian social cohesion, but also a chance in a possible heaven.^[1]

The following is an unofficial motto, as there is no organized governing body on the matter, which is of course merely ideological: morality through knowledge; knowledge through understanding; understanding through devotion.

[edit] History

The history and origin of Moralism is unclear and relatively modern. Many credit David Hume for laying the foundations, as well as Blaise Pascal and the French Moralists' conception of morality. Further people credited for the creation are Thomas More for his creation of an utopian society, as well as Epicurus. Additionally, many claim that the moral emphasis in Judaism laid the template from which Moralism evolved, and agnosticism created the 'non-committal' views. Though the date of origin is not known, most guess it to be some time in the late 19th century.

[edit] Essential Components of Moralism

David Hume, often considered to be the reason for the downfall of deism, his ideas set the stage for the creation of Moralism^[2]

Bust of Epicurus resting in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France

Blaise Pascal, French Moralist, studying the cycloid, by Augustin Pajou, 1785, Louvre

Thomas Henry Huxley, coiner of Agnosticism.

[edit] Guiding Hand

An elementary concept of Moralism is the idea of a "guiding hand." This concept is used to explain the origin of morals. It does not specify where morals come from, whether by God or society, but it does explain that humans are implemented with morals. These morals cannot be removed from people, only ignored, and there are a certain sum of morals which every human has. This guiding hand also explains that there is something called "society morals," which are a figure of society that changes rapidly with the "moral backlash." These society morals often contrast with an individual's morals, and when this happens a man is implored to take the stricter approach and not defy either society or his own morals. The guiding hand's origin is unknown and unexplained, as Moralists do not try to explain that which they cannot understand.

[edit] Society Morals

Society Morals are the basic code which a society generally accepts as moral. These are usually more lenient than a individual's morals, and therefore they often contrast. These society morals are also more prone to rapid change and are the primary factors which are changed by "moral backlash." These changes in society often drag an individual's morals in its path.

[edit] Moral Backlash

One interpretation of moralism is that society's morals start at a certain high point (usually at the birth of nationhood) yet subsequently deteriorate, though not in an irreversible manner. They can then react to some social movement and improve again, sometimes to greater heights than before; however, they will likely begin to decline again at some point in the future, and this process goes on indefinitely at varying intensities. Nonetheless, there is a possibility of a so-called moral period, which can postpone, or in some cases prevent, any imminent decline.

[edit] Moral Period, Dry Era

A moral period is when something catastrophic happens to society, such as a war, where much of the society is involved. This then can slow down, and even elevate a society's morals during a moral decline. A dry era is a society which is constantly in catastrophe and therefore its morals do not act the same as those of a regular society.

[edit] Moralism and Other Beliefs

[edit] Moralism and Agnosticism

Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth and value of certain claims are either currently unknown or inherently unknowable. This is standpoint is in accordance with Moralism's 'noncommital' views which hold that any notion unproven by science is unacceptable. The two beliefs differ however on the issue of social cohesion and morality, Moralism takes the approach which states that social cohesion is a cause of Morality, while agnosticism holds the opposite. Because of these fundamental similarities, many consider agnosticism to be the foregrounds of Moralism.

[edit] Moralism and Atheism

Atheism is a lack of belief in a god, which comes in both weak and strong (historically negative and positive) versions. Negative atheism, which states that there is no good reason to believe in a god, is compatible with Moralism, which neither disputes nor agrees with theism by itself. Since Moralism must not make any assumptions, it is incompatible with some versions of strong atheism, which positively state that there are good reasons to not believe in God. Furthermore, since there is no implicit stress of morals in atheism (though most atheists adopt humanistic moral systems as a direct consequence of their beliefs), the heavy moral construct of Moralism raises another possible incompatibility.

[edit] Moralism and Deism

Deism is a set of beliefs that primarily includes an inactive creator. A typical personification is that of a clockmaker. Once the clockmaker is finished with his work, he is no longer actively engaged in it. The allusion in this instance would imply that miracles are possible, yet the deity chooses not to perform them for the eyes of mankind on Earth.^[3] Moralism, in contrast, does not make any assumption and therefore does not believe in any existence of god. The stress of morals in Moralism also surpasses the stress in deism.^[4]

[edit] Moralism and Religion

There is no active separation between Moralism and theology. Moralism choses not to blindly believe, but from a technical standpoint, if one was sure there is a god, therefore not blindly believing in a deity, (since many religions subscribe to similar morals) one could theoretically be a Moralist. However, since Moralists try to have their beliefs encompassing only individuals of the same view, religion is inevitably excluded.

[edit] Immoralism

Immoralism is an ideology similar to hedonism but not completely intertwined. Immoralism fervently rebels against any sort of moral code, including that of moralism, while hedonism remains ignorant of it.

[edit] Moralism and Society

[edit] Moralism and Government

Moralism does not associate itself with any government directly. However, being that it comprises moral law, learning, and work, a just and advanced government would seem to flow best. Though Moralism favors heavy punishment, it also supports the idea of equal opportunity, thus strongly opposing affirmative action. Therefore, it is likely that Moralism would favor a strict capitalist society with many social benefits.

[edit] Moralism about Consumption

Moralism about consumption is a widely discussed cultural viewpoint that portrays certain forms of consumption as looming threat to the civic and communal well-being of society and the eco-system. As Luedicke, Thompson and Giesler show, moral discourses about consumption draw from the myth of the moral protagonist as a rhetorical template for promoting the anti-consumerist agenda. However, they also show that this same cultural template can also be used for pro-consumerist moral identity projects. In their study, drivers of extra large and extra thirsty Hummer vehicles claim the moral high ground for their resource-intensive consumption choices by positioning themselves as moral protagonists who defend sacrosanct American values against the hypocritical, misinformed eco-activists. Hummer owners invest their argument into the moral protagonist myth to successfully defend a pro-consumerist, pro-American moral agenda.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Luedicke, Marius K., Craig J. Thompson and Markus Giesler. 2010. "'Consumption as Moral Protagonism:' How Myth and Ideology Animate a Brand-Mediated Moral Conflict." Journal of Consumer Research. 36 (April): 00.