Where does moral sentiment lie in human?

The site of moral sentiment in humans has been suggested from time immemorial from mind, brain and a combination of neurones and hormones, and experience. I shall be examining the intricate relationship that exists between the brain, mind and morality. Although this relationship has been extensively explored before, it remains an area of much debate as the question of what exactly governs and determines our moral rationale and judgement is something that varies from person to person. This individual varying nature ensures that it is almost impossible to design a concrete formula by which we can assess and analyse the specifics of peoples’ moral decision making.

Morality

Morality defines the values that govern our behaviour and we must appreciate that other people look at our moral decisions and often base theirs upon it.

There are various terms that are often used interchangeably, including morals, ethical judgment, and values. Values are the rules by which we make decisions about right and wrong, should and should not, good and bad. They also tell us what is more or less important and what is useful when we have to trade off meeting one value over another. Morals on the other hand, have a greater social element to values and tend to have a very broad acceptance. They are far more about good and bad than other values and we thus judge others more strongly on morals than values. A person can be described as immoral, yet there is no word for them not following values. Ethics tend to be codified into a formal system or set of rules, which are explicitly adopted by a group of people, such as medical ethics. They are thus internally defined and adopted, whilst morals tend to be externally imposed on other people.

If we look at morality in greater detail, we often ask the question- what, or who, influences and shapes our moral judgement? Although this varies amongst people, a good place to start is with the questions of ‘who’- family, friends, or both? It is reasonable to assume that the large period of time that we spend with our families is during the most impressionable and influential stages of our life. When we are at our youngest age, we are starting out in the world and we need moral guidance and examples to look up to and aspire to; therefore, whether we are consciously are aware of it or not, our families and the environment that we grow up in help to shape our morals and values through everyday words and actions. We learn what is right and wrong and what is acceptable or not from them. However, with this knowledge, we must acknowledge that there is the possibility that families and parents do not always lead their children on a path to good morals and values.

It is very important not to underestimate the importance of a person’s upbringing and the influence that this has on their moral compass. In a recent documentary on BBC Horizon, the combination of genetics and the environment were shown very strongly to correlate with moral judgement. It was shown that if the correct combination of conditions and genes were found that a person would be more (or less) likely to have good moral judgement. With this, it was further correlated that if a person had a particular gene, along with an unhappy childhood and upbringing then they would be much more likely to be immoral than those who either had the gene and a happy childhood or those who did not have the gene at all.

There are many contributing factors that affect our morals and rationale. When taking the age-old traditional argument of “nature versus nurture,” it is fair to state that both concepts have an important role. The decisions that we make are influenced by both our environmental upbringing and our genetics. However, it is important to recognise that bad moral judgement should not be wholly excused as a result of either our genetics or environmental and societal upbringing. In fact, we should strive to learn as we get older and the importance of making good moral decisions. Learning from others’ mistakes as well as our own shall help to promote our judgement. It is essential that our decisions set a good example to provide people with good and wholesome values because without these values in place, societies cannot survive for long.

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