Why The World Isn’t Simply Black And White.
It’s not just simply good versus evil.
“The world isn’t black and white. No one does pure good or pure bad. It’s all gray. Therefore, no one is better than anyone else.”
— Marc Stiegler, David’s Sling
It baffles me greatly when I hear of people who look down upon the less favoured and privileged.
To judge the actions of others without giving consideration for their personal circumstances, and least of all their struggles.
We like to paint a picture — one where the good are revered and respected and the bad are put to shame and neglected.
Yet we fail to contextualise the decisions individuals make, and by no means am I saying that all decisions can be justified. I’m merely putting forth the supposition that there are grey areas.
The Trolley Problem
A good example of this is the Trolley Problem — a moral dilemma where people are compelled to make a decision between two equally cruel ethical judgements.
This trade-off points to how not all choices are binary — it isn’t simply a yes-no question with clear and limiting moral boundaries.
Some decisions necessitate leniency.
We can all agree that violence is abhorrent and is never the solution to a given problem, yet taking a pacifistic approach when your own life is in danger would almost certainly guarantee a negative outcome.
Morality is a paradox
Decisions need to be carefully weighed.
I believe it is the intent behind a particular action that is important.
If an individual is compelled to lie to escape oppression and tyranny, one may argue that form of immoral behaviour can be justified.
Depending on how and why are decision is made changes our stance on morality.
But here is where it gets quite intriguing.
We could argue that the true purpose of morality is to eliminate conditions of suffering and grievous wrongs. However, it is only with those present conditions that we can call on moral actions that provide moral value.
Without it, we would be devoid of any understanding of morality.
