2.2 The notion of moral

In everyday language, the two terms ethics and morals are usually used synonymously and are not scrutinised further. They are often linked with paternalism. This is because moral statements are often associated to commandments or prohibitions. Its visible symbol is the raised index finger. It may reprimand one as well as show one the supposedly correct path from the perspective of its holder. But it is not that simple. Ethics and morality do not have to be associated with paternalism per se, nor are they identical notions.

Morality can be understood as a system of values that is actually practised in a community. It is a system of order that reflects the values and meaning of a community of practice. In such a community, certain patterns of behaviour have developed over time that claim validity for the members of this very community. This means that the members of such a community have expectations towards the actions of its members and are expected to fulfil these expectations themselves. A moral action is therefore an action that follows the rules of the prevailing morality of the group.

Moral actions follow rules to which the members of a community of values submit. The actions and their results are recognised via social mechanisms. If a person has acted well and correctly in the sense of the moral community, they receive appreciation and praise. If, on the other hand, they have violated the applicable moral standards, they will be disrespected and reprimanded and socially ostracised. [Pi17, p. 26]

Example: A mining company explores a new raw material deposit in a remote region and begins mining after obtaining the necessary authorization and finishing the exploration of the deposit. The operation gives the region an economic boost and expands its infrastructure. At the same time, the extraction of raw materials changes the landscape and endangers the environment and the population’s livelihood. As a result, one group could see the company as a positive promoter of the region and the indigenous people. In contrast, another group could call it an irresponsible destroyer of the environment and indigenous culture.

Exercise 2.1: Moral judgments (transfer task) Research a raw material extraction project:

   • Describe the influence of the operation in your own words. 
   • Analyse the project for reactions (comments, discussions, etc.) in which moral judgements are expressed. Specify the reactions. 
   • Are the judgements consistent? Can you identify different values? Can you identify whether the (different) judgements) come from different communities? 
   • How do you assess the impact of the mining operation? Why do you assess it this way? 

Time to complete approx. 75 min. Communities have morals. And morals can differ from community to community. We can see that there is not just one morality, but many morals. Some morals will be reconcilable and compatible with each other, while others may be contradictory or even incompatible. The mining example just outlined already points to these possible tensions.