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Moral Standards versus Non-moral Standards
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This learning resource discusses the difference between moral standards and non-moral standards, including their meaning, nature, and dynamics.
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Moral Standards versus Non-moral StandardsWhy the need to distinguish moral standards from non-moral ones?
It is important to note that different societies have different moral beliefs and that our
beliefs are deeply influenced by our own culture and context. For this reason, some
values do have moral implications, while others don’t. Let us consider, for example, the
wearing of hijab. For sure, in traditional Muslim communities, the wearing of hijab is the
most appropriate act that women have to do in terms of dressing up. In fact, for some
Muslims, showing parts of the woman’s body, such as the face and legs, is despicable.
However, in many parts of the world, especially in Western societies, most people don’t
mind if women barely cover their bodies. As a matter of fact, the Hollywood canon of
beauty glorifies a sexy and slim body and the wearing of extremely daring dress. The
point here is that people in the West may have pitied the Muslim women who wear
hijab, while some Muslims may find women who dress up daringly despicable.
Again, this clearly shows that different cultures have different moral standards. What is
a matter of moral indifference, that is, a matter of taste (hence, non-moral value) in one
culture may be a matter of moral significance in another.
Now, the danger here is that one culture may impose its own cultural standard on
others, which may result in a clash in cultural values and beliefs. When this happens, as
we may already know, violence and crime may ensue, such as religious violence and
ethnic cleansing.
How can we address this cultural conundrum?
This is where the importance of understanding the difference between moral standards
(that is, of what is a moral issue) and non-moral ones (that is, of what is a non-moral
issue―thus, a matter of taste) comes in. This issue may be too obvious and insignificant
for some people, but understanding the difference between the two may have far-
reaching implications. For one, once we have distinguished moral standards from non-
moral ones, of course, through the aid of the principles and theories in ethics, we will be
able to identify fundamental ethical values that may guide our actions. Indeed, once we
know that particular values and beliefs are non-moral, we will be able to avoid running
the risk of falling into the pit of cultural reductionism (that is, taking complex cultural
issues as simple and homogenous ones) and the unnecessary imposition of one’s own
cultural standard on others. The point here is that if such standards are non-moral (that
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