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Post by henry on Apr 24, 2007 18:33:20 GMT -5
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why??
(I refer to the statement in the title of this post)
My position: Morality can and has been legislated, both successfully and not, and this can be demonstrated in specific instances in history. Examples include prohibition of both alcohol and other drugs, taxes, polygamy, gay marriage, and the draft.
Oh and most importantly, the state mandated education system.
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Post by bezzerkker on Apr 24, 2007 19:04:25 GMT -5
Drug prohibition can (and is) covered by the government's ongoing desire to protect the health of Americans. The government has an invested interest in our lives and therefore has a desire to keep us alive and from ODing on say, ecstacy or heroin.
Alcohol was also a health issue, since prohibitionists quoted statistics to show drunk mean often beat their wives.
Polygamy is prohibited on the basis that though we have the freedom of religion, that only includes the freedom to hold an opinion, not to act. This also prevents people from murdering, assaulting, or basically doing anything illegal or of dubious legality on the basis that it is part of their religion. I can quote the supreme court case, if need be.
Plenty of good laws have ties to morality: Murder=sanctity of life. Theft=thou shalt not steal (however, the right to private property, as state by Locke, has more to do with this than morality) Waiting period for marriage lisence=the gravity of the decision you're making and the importance of marriage (Except in Nevada) hug=Men and women deserve respect and the right to consensual sex
These are just examples I'm doing more or less on the fly, since government class has gotten me a bit more politcally minded.
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Post by henry on Apr 24, 2007 19:23:21 GMT -5
I make no statement for or against any of my examples, I am merely using them to support my position on the statement that morality cannot be legislated. They are examples of morality being legislated.
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Post by henry on Apr 24, 2007 20:42:10 GMT -5
My hope here is that people with different responses to this statement will share and help me write my philosophy paper that's due tomorrow by providing new insight.
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Post by bezzerkker on Apr 24, 2007 22:22:33 GMT -5
Ah, that's the reason for this. Well, its seems that you're not arguing so much that morality cannot be legislated as should not. If it cannot be legilsated, then it would have failed utterly (like prohibition) each and every time. Instead, it has shown success in some areas.
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Post by henry on Apr 24, 2007 22:27:28 GMT -5
I don't think that morality cannot be legislated. I should have clarified: the title of this post is an essay prompt.
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Post by henry on Apr 24, 2007 23:41:22 GMT -5
Well I finished my paper, thanks for the assist bezzerkker man
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Post by Arachis on Apr 25, 2007 5:37:43 GMT -5
sorry henry If Id seen your post earlier I would have responded, especially cuz I love a good political "discussion". Anyway, I think that morality is indisputably present in modern politics and that the real question is whether it should be in politics or not. Should there be a separation of morals and state like there should be with religion?
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Post by dietspam16 on Apr 25, 2007 8:12:57 GMT -5
I don't think it's possible for anybody today to consciously separate their conceptions of morality and law. Our entire political system/philosophy in the West has been based on the idea of natural law that some things are inherently "good" of "bad" and that the states function is to enforce them for the greater good of all. Sure in reality Politicians make a lot of laws unrelated to morality, but just about any political diatribe involves extensive moral thumping.
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Post by bezzerkker on Apr 27, 2007 0:53:40 GMT -5
Well I finished my paper, thanks for the assist bezzerkker man Glad I could help. Unless you're being sarcastic... then my response is "Glad I could help!"
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