605 Change of morals

 Morals are virtually universal. If a moral were easy to dodge, it would lose its function. Morals are not, however, strictly universal. There may be rare exceptions, and they change. One exception to the injunction not to lie, is a lie to a hostess that her dinner was delicious, while it was atrocious. There are ‘white lies’. Another exception is ‘don’t kill, while if you are attacked you may.

 How do morals change? .Aristotle proposed a range of virtues, the most important ones are: reason, courage, moderation, and justice. You need reason to clear up arguments and avoid errors. You need courage to follow your convictions, even they go beyond accepted views and carry a penalty. You need moderation to give space to ideas of others. Justice is needed to avoid errors of regulations and protect the indigent, poor and to prevent exclusion and discrimination. The highest virtue is ‘phronesis’, where your selection of a virtue and its enactment depend on he circumstances. That is an engine of change. When you run into a situation where no existing virtue is evident, or a view of someone conflicts with yours, you cast about for alternatives.

I propose that here the COD, circle of discovery, with stages of differentiation and accommodation occur, discussed before, apples here also. If your repertoire of virtues does not work in a new situation, you may try to consider moral views of others, try to fit in unfamiliar virtue, which upsets you repertoire of familiar virtues, you may set out to develop a new repertoire, with familiar and new virtues.

For example, in scientific debate you may be used to an American style of hard and direct criticism, as beneficial for clarity and creative discussion, to root out obfuscation and vagueries, you may find that in another country this kills debate. People may tell you that you are neglecting nuances, and destroying trust, and tripping what Habermas called ‘communicative action’, crossing n different ‘life worlds’.

You may have developed a preference for the clear and universal laws and rules that you are used to, but those need the necessary institutions of control and penalty, and those are often absent in less developed countries, and there relations are more personal and individual, and need to be carefully built up, with rituals and gift giving.