OSHER 71 - Right and Wrong, Good and Bad: Who Decides? A Philosophical Conversation about Morality

We all make moral judgments, believing that things are right or wrong, good or bad. Moral judgments define our character, motivate our actions, and are expressed in our emotions. We can't help but evaluating our actions morally. Although morality is basic, it is puzzling. Moral judgments are not like factual judgments whose truth can be determined by observation and experiment. This leads many to believe that there is no objective truth about right or wrong but just different opinions,or that morality is relative to the society in which one lives. Others argue, however, that there is an objective right and wrong. Some base this on religion; others think we have a moral sense that enables us to determine what's right. Still others think we use reasoning to arrive at correct and true judgments in morality. These are the issues we will address.