As humans we need to be moral first and casuistic afterwards. If morality isn't primary our society becomes more corrupt and dysfunctional. As you point out reacting morally is easier and simpler than working out the possibilities, and more psychologically satisfying. We were born to do it because it helps human societies to survive. On …
As humans we need to be moral first and casuistic afterwards. If morality isn't primary our society becomes more corrupt and dysfunctional. As you point out reacting morally is easier and simpler than working out the possibilities, and more psychologically satisfying. We were born to do it because it helps human societies to survive. On the other hand politics nationally and globally are complex and don't mesh well with moral viewpoints or the view from nowhere. The moral system by itself isn't enough and we need international law, and international treaties, the United Nations, and international alliances to continue to prosper. It's difficult to view all of humanity as one vast group, because it is made up of so many different societies with different values and code of ethics. Nonetheless, people everywhere agree that we should not harm each other outside of warfare, and this is the basis of morality - protection from harm. We need to use moral judgement all the time. Think of the situation that involves Russia, China, and the United States, Iran, etc. The United States is a democracy. Russia, China and Iran are totalitarian states. We need to understand something about totalitarianism. Fascism and communism are disastrous for a country's citizens. People are terrorized for speaking their mind or being politically independent. A totalitarian state, such as Nazi Germany or Russia, often requires wars of conquest to fuel its existence. This has led to untold death and destruction for the people's living adjacent to these states. As a democracy, and the most powerful nation, the U.S. is obliged to defend global democracy against totalitarianism. We cannot let Russia go down the road of restoring it's empire from the soviet days, nor can we allow China to take over the South Pacific. In this case U.S. interests coincide with moral interests.
As humans we need to be moral first and casuistic afterwards. If morality isn't primary our society becomes more corrupt and dysfunctional. As you point out reacting morally is easier and simpler than working out the possibilities, and more psychologically satisfying. We were born to do it because it helps human societies to survive. On the other hand politics nationally and globally are complex and don't mesh well with moral viewpoints or the view from nowhere. The moral system by itself isn't enough and we need international law, and international treaties, the United Nations, and international alliances to continue to prosper. It's difficult to view all of humanity as one vast group, because it is made up of so many different societies with different values and code of ethics. Nonetheless, people everywhere agree that we should not harm each other outside of warfare, and this is the basis of morality - protection from harm. We need to use moral judgement all the time. Think of the situation that involves Russia, China, and the United States, Iran, etc. The United States is a democracy. Russia, China and Iran are totalitarian states. We need to understand something about totalitarianism. Fascism and communism are disastrous for a country's citizens. People are terrorized for speaking their mind or being politically independent. A totalitarian state, such as Nazi Germany or Russia, often requires wars of conquest to fuel its existence. This has led to untold death and destruction for the people's living adjacent to these states. As a democracy, and the most powerful nation, the U.S. is obliged to defend global democracy against totalitarianism. We cannot let Russia go down the road of restoring it's empire from the soviet days, nor can we allow China to take over the South Pacific. In this case U.S. interests coincide with moral interests.