# What morality is

Morals are actions that prioritize serving [individual beings](humanity.md) and [social groups](groups-small.md) over things, though how much and who is a [constantly debated question](paradoxes.md).

Morality comes from "mores", which is at least partly a [social construct](groups-small.md) built around establishing [order](understanding-certainty.md). When implemented with more clear [logic](logic.md), mores becomes [laws](people-rules.md).

## Context

Moral decisions are *always* a connection between several elements:

1. Decider - Someone who makes the agency of [choice](people-decisions.md) upon the matter.
2. Subject - Someone else who experiences the [consequences](results.md) of that choice, though it may sometimes be the Decider.
3. Decision - The action itself. In the case of thought experiments, those decisions are usually magnified by [technology](technology.md).
4. Motive - The [reason](purpose.md) for the Decider's decision.
5. Consequences - what ultimately happens from the decision.
6. Authority - anyone [observing](image.md) or [imagining](imagination.md) the [experience](stories.md), as well as any standard of [rules](people-rules.md) that dictate which of the above are most important.

Since moral decisions have at least those six moving parts, they're always complicated, though [principle-based](values.md) morality is generally simpler because it generally removes the consequences from the calculation.

APPLICATION: The moral hazard of a person is proportional to their [power](power-types.md), which means intelligent, wealthy, strong, and [influential](power-infleunce.md) people are far more capable and responsible for both [sin](morality-sins.md) and [virtue](morality-virtue.md).

Large moral decisions are conscious, but most moral decisions are unconscious [habits](habits.md). Ethics is strictly morality about the near-recent past, often driven by [animal impulses](mind-feelings.md) and [principles](values.md), with consequences that materialized in the present already.

Our moral decisions are either drawing from the past (non-consequentialism) or [calculating](imagination.md) the [consequences](results.md) of the action (consequentialism). If we have any preconceived thoughts before even *hearing* about the situation, we have principles.

## Basis

Depending on the [philosophy](philosophy.md) of the perceiver, the goodness of the action resides in the decision, motive, or consequences:

- Goodness in the motive is driven by a belief that virtue holds the most [value](values-quality.md).
- Goodness in the decision comes from believing that we have little [control](results.md) over our actions.
- Goodness in consequences comes from a belief that goodness and [results](results.md) are directly connected. This can get extremely complicated because of how [unpredictable](imagination.md) things are!

APPLICATION: Moral decisions affect everyone differently, depending on their [philosophy](philosophy.md), but they're all built on a similar framework tied to our [universal wiring](humanity-universals.md) and have a relative component based on [cultural training](people-culture.md).

People can frequently justify their moral decisions as good when they're, in effect, operating on merely [fear](mind-feelings-fear.md). Frequently, people who perform [evil](morality-evil.md) or [criminal](legal-crimes.md) activities feel they're forced to do it because of the situation.

APPLICATION: People always abide by a moralized [value](values.md) system, even if it's not accurately based on virtue. People who commit immoral actions nearly always feel bad for doing what they had done because they've violated their principles (even if the principle was "don't get caught").

Morality must have a basis for its actions. There are some things that *can't* define morality:

- Individual [choice](people-decisions.md) - Otherwise, murder is perfectly fine because people choose it. Claiming people are victims of their choice to murder is silly, but [a good political move](politics-leftism.md).
- [Justice](morality-justice.md) - Morality *determines* the basis of [laws](people-rules.md) and justice, not the other way around.
- [Group decisions](groups-large.md) or the collective of humanity - If that were the case, Nazi Germany would have the moral right to do what they did. [Power](power.md) may magnify morality but can't define it.

As a general concept, we are all born with a conscience that maintains a semblance of morality. Based on our [upbringing](people-family.md), [culturally imposed standards](people-culture.md) will at least partially program our conscience.

In practice, morality can only exist as a reference to [whatever authority formed us](religion.md). In whatever case, we must submit to that authority and are morally [enslaved](slavery.md) to that construct:

- If Islam is true, [jihad](people-conflicts-war.md) has its time and place.
- If Christianity is true, everyone must renounce their [ego](humanity.md) for the sake of [love](people-love.md).
- If atheism is true, the preservation of the most fit of our species is ideal.
- If pantheism, of any type, is true, then [self-happiness](mind-feelings-happiness.md) is the greatest achievement.

This slavery to the moral framework is *not* a bad thing. In fact, it's the only way we can ever derive [meaning](meaning.md).

Many post-moderns and [Leftists](politics-leftism.md) claim that [reality](reality.md) itself is nebulous and, thus, morality is entirely relative. At the same time, they claim that value as an absolute. To say "all moral values are relative" is an absolute value. To live by it is moral absolutism.

In practice, most people want moral relativism to justify their views as a type of "live and let live" approach. If we were being *really* honest with ourselves, we tend to use [reasoning](logic.md) to justify and hide our [fear](mind-feelings-fear.md) of [moral consequences](results.md).

## Virtue

We must [learn](understanding.md) virtue because [thinking about others](people-friends.md) doesn't come naturally. On the other end, we don't need to learn [evil](morality-evil.md) because self-interest is an unavoidable part of [who we are](humanity.md).

A virtue is a trained [habit](habits.md) of making [decisions](people-decisions.md) grounded in [love](people-love.md) for others, *not* merely as a single decision. This habit naturally expresses itself through our [intuitions](mind-feelings.md).

Without [love for others](people-love.md), *any* principle by itself will veer into excess, typically expressed as either harshness or [paternalism](politics-leftism.md).

Some virtues stand alone as states of being:

- Empathy - [understanding](understanding.md) and [feeling](mind-feelings.md) others' experiences
- Kindness - [doing](results.md) good things for others
- Gratitude - [aware](awareness.md) and thankful for good things
- Hope - [expects](imagination.md) the best and works toward it
- Vitality/Joy - approaches life with [excitement and enthusiasm](mind-feelings-happiness.md)
- Forgiveness - [reconciles and releases](mind-feelings-happiness-stress.md)

Some virtues are responses to [conflicts](conflicts-inner.md):

- Bravery/Courage - stands against opposition
- Persistence/Perseverance - maintains a [purpose](purpose.md) [faithfully](understanding-certainty.md) with little or no outside support
- Integrity - holds fast to important [values](values.md) and [promises](people-contracts.md), no matter what

Some virtues are strictly products of the [mind](understanding.md):

- [Creativity](mind-creativity.md) - [making things](creations.md) after drawing connections from observations
- [Curiosity/Open-Mindedness](purpose.md) - a love of [learning](understanding.md), specifically in seeing beyond [convention](people-culture.md) to find new truths
- [Wisdom and perspective](understanding.md) - applying knowledge and experience into [daily life](habits.md) and [decisions](people-decisions.md)

Some virtues come through how we [see](image.md) things:

- Appreciation of [beauty/nature](values-quality.md) - regards the inner quality of [nature](reality.md) and [creations](creations.md)
- [Humor](humor.md) - sees things from a less serious perspective
- Spirituality - finds [purposes](purpose.md) that [transcend this life](legacy.md)

Some virtues tie to our relationships with others:

- [Social intelligence](people-boundaries.md) - aware of motives and [feelings](mind-feelings.md) in oneself and others
- [Teamwork](people-boundaries.md) - able to [work](results.md) well with others
- [Fairness](morality-justice.md) - treats others without [bias](image.md)
- [Leadership](influence.md) - encourages others to do well

A few virtues *are* a "middle ground":

- Prudence/meekness - makes [decisions](people-decisions.md) carefully, even when it's possible to indulge in a bad decision
- Self-regulation/patience - holds back from [excess](addiction.md), even when we feel compelled to act

APPLICATION: Since virtue is a [habit](habits.md), we must carefully consider what we're doing. If we're wrong, we'll destroy quite a bit before we realize what we've been doing.

Living a virtuous life is [meaningful](meaning.md) in itself, but its [evidence](results.md) will always express itself with others. The only people, therefore, who can tell us if we *are* living virtuously [love](people-love.md) us enough to be honest about what they see.

## Intuition

We already naturally [understand](understanding.md) these principles, at least in part. Acting on our principles is far more [relevant](meaning.md) than simply knowing them. Finding and acting on virtue is the one true [usefulness](purpose.md) of [religion](religion.md). However, irrespective of religion, we can still discover goodness simply by severe and chronic exposure to [evil](morality-evil.md), similar to seeing a dim light in a very dark room.

APPLICATION: Loving behavior toward others begins with patience:

- Patience to suspend [judgment](people-decisions.md)
- Patience to [understand](understanding.md) others and the situations involved
- Patience to find [creative solutions](mind-creativity.md) that benefit everyone
- Patience to [work toward](results.md) an ideal

Even when we don't understand virtue directly, we form a selfishly driven alternate that floats nearby them. We frequently imagine ourselves to be more moral than we really are, and tend to judge ourselves with more grace than others. We usually do this from a [deep fear](mind-feelings-fear.md) of how terrible we're really capable of.

Some of the most powerful [evil](morality-evil.md) channels virtues and healthy principles toward destructive ends. This is easier than it sounds because many principles are *very* similar, but convey *entirely* different [implications](mind-feelings.md) (e.g., equality versus fairness, wisdom versus knowledge).

The scope of our capacity for ethical behavior comes closely with how well-refined our [intuition](mind-feelings.md) is about the subject of our [decisions](people-decisions.md). Therefore, to enhance our ethics, we must enhance our [understanding](understanding.md), especially of [the domain beyond this life](religion.md), which comes from the experience of [loving](love.md) others.

APPLICATION: Good moral education requires people to develop an [intuition](mind-feelings.md) for it, *not* [rote memorization](mind-memory.md). However, it's possible that the people who pay the educators [don't want a moral person](mgmt-badsystems.md) to change how they do things.

One of the easiest ways to perform immoral actions is to behave kindly to Person A while harming Person B. We're able to justify our actions by claiming Person B had it coming, and Person A is unlikely to complain. Taken across a [large organization](groups-large.md), this moral decay is a massive reason [bad systems](mgmt-badsystems.md) exist.

Many times, entire societies have moved themselves around simply because a few people took a quiet stand against [evil](morality-evil.md). No matter how complicated a situation can get, it's not difficult to tell when a person is [unfairly treated](morality-justice.md), [enslaved](slavery.md), or killed without a good reason.

## Humility

Except for [self-destructive habits](addiction.md), morality *always* requires other people, meaning we must [love](people-love.md) others. To reliably love them, we must [consider](purpose.md) them more frequently than we're automatically disposed to doing.

However, we also often [fear](mind-feelings-fear.md) being unloved, so we naturally believe we must stay important to others. To do so, we'll declare ourselves the "best" at something. That "bestness" is also known as conceit, or the Christian concept of pride.

If something risks outperforming us, we [wish](purpose.md) (and often [try](results.md)) to outdo them. Our innate talent (of which we were typically [born with](humanity.md)) determines if we succeed.

APPLICATION: Most conceited people are severely blind to themselves and don't realize how silly they look. The only sensible reactions we can have are to be angry at it, ignore it, or [have fun with it](humor.md) at their expense.

There are *many* places we can try to be "best" at:

- Possessing more [power](power.md), [reputation](image.md), strength, intelligence, possessions, or [education](understanding.md) than someone else.
- Having *less* of anyone else of the above.
- Being more religious or humble than others.

This quest for an object of conceit is a [compounding system](habits.md) that extends into further and further niches. However, it's all for self-promotion, so it has no legitimate virtue.

APPLICATION: Self-conceit is often why people [specialize their skills](groups-small.md) and [become group leaders](groups-small.md).

The opposite of self-conceit is humility, which expresses a desire for others' well-being and growth. While some [religions](religion.md) carry most of these ideas, some secular [creators](mind-creativity.md) (e.g., Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie) express the same idea with different [purposes](purpose.md) for it.

Humility isn't a focus *on* one's own faults, but more a focus *away* from oneself onto others. The evidence of a humble lifestyle is someone who makes others feel [important](people-love.md) without ever thinking of themselves strictly beyond tending to legitimate needs.

APPLICATION: Selflessness can be trained, but it must be sincere. If anyone performs a virtue *for* someone else, they're likely trying to gain something from it. Even people trying to [please God](religion.md) might be doing it selfishly. The only reason someone should do *anything* virtuous is out of [love](people-love.md) for others around them.

The greatest moral hazard to any soul comes through false humility, which involves heavy preoccupation with [appearing](image.md) to consider others' best interests instead of doing it. A falsely humble person will live a paradoxical life of self-sacrifice for the purpose of gaining [reputation](image.md) and the [power](power.md) that comes with it. Ironically, most outsiders of religious [groups](groups-member.md) think of false humility when they observe a [religion](religion.md).

APPLICATION: Living virtuously is typically unpopular, but some [trends](trends.md) will imply the participants are behaving virtuously. Often, their "virtue" will lead to persecution of the truly virtuous.

Conceit has a cure, but requires a few things:

1. Regard others as equally significant as oneself. This requires *more* [work](results.md) toward others than toward oneself because we don't know exactly what other people are thinking and [feeling](mind-feelings.md).
2. Never [over-identify](identity.md) with anything that attributes to self-importance, especially on [how it appears to others](image.md).
3. Accept all other perspectives are equally valid, even when the [reasoning](logic.md) isn't always as sound or is missing apparent portions of [reality](reality.md) that other people can plainly see.
4. Quickly admit failure as it arises, irrespective of [what it looks like](image.md) or [implies](stories.md).

Humility is critical for the [good life](goodlife.md) and a [healthy society](politics-perfectsociety.md), but it's extremely rare in this world for several reasons:

- Conceited people tend to grab all available [power](power.md) and, therefore, most of everyone's [attention](image.md).
- Giving a humble person power may provoke them to self-conceit and make them a poor [role model](people-culture.md) for others.
- Even if a humble person received all the power, they're not always shrewd enough to hold back the [evil](morality-evil.md) or conceited people from taking power again.
- True, complete humility requires complete [self-awareness](awareness.md), which is impossible because we keep experiencing things that [change](people-changes.md) us.

APPLICATION: We tend to justify our moral actions, even when we know we're harming others who don't deserve it. It may help others [imagine](imagination.md) that we're moral, but it doesn't do anything for our inner wellness.