Are Morals and Values inherited?

Formatted Soul
By Formatted Soul

I think our behaviours and our morals are trained choices we learn as we grow up! Upbringing plays an imperative role in our Morals and Values. Moral thinking normally begins by teenage, by then we learned what is good and bad. Morals can become beliefs over time. We also see them in Black and white! As we become adults we add too these Morals and do change them to fit into our Lifestyle's. Even friends can change our thinking! Morals are things that keep us grounded to what we all consider as who we are. Morals are deep seated whereas values keep on changing with time and needs.I don’t think they are inherited.

What are Morals and values according to you? Is it specific to culture? Can a person with Good values have bad morals?

By Formatted Soul• 14 Jun 2011 11:19
Formatted Soul

hmmm..some interesting views...

Are moral standards in the eye of the beholder?

What is right for you may not be right for me. So who decides the standards?

By procrastnator• 14 Jun 2011 01:30
procrastnator

Merci lincoln. I mean thanks Lincoln.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 18:47
anonymous

Nearly all morals and values originate, broadly, to ensure peace and harmony in the society and make life happy for people. Except a handful of moral teachings,which have been passed down through ages, all the rest keep changing with the society, community and generations.

We need to follow what people around us expect out of us as our code of conduct during our lifetime.

By britexpat• 13 Jun 2011 18:42
britexpat

Thou shalt not steal does apply as base moral. However, your values at the time may make you go against what you percieve is morally right.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 17:35
anonymous

no merci means 'no thanks' and is French. It has nothing to do with 'no mercy'!!

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 17:03
procrastnator

yes nomerci your right. but why its nomerci cant it be show mercy. cuz when we are merciful towards others we will receive mercy. cuz mercy exalts triumphantly over judgement.

By nomerci• 13 Jun 2011 16:42
nomerci

exactly...BUT, on the other hand, you can give a man food, but would it not be better to teach him how to grow it himself?

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 16:26
procrastnator

so feed them. khallas

By nomerci• 13 Jun 2011 16:24
nomerci

Well, morally it is wrong to steal food, but it is also morally wrong not to feed a starving person.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 16:20
anonymous

lol I see your point of 'thou shalt not steal' but when you are trying to teach young children morals and values you try not encourage an illegal activity:-)

Stealing for whatever reason could be seen as wrong by some and certainly somebody who is starving is of course going to steal food if they can.

Where morals and values have gone wrong for us and not the person who is stealing food is - why morally do we think it is ok to waste food when others are starving?

So the morals or values of the person stealing are not in question here - the morals and values as to why he has to steal is the problem.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 16:09
anonymous

Morals are evolutionary, psychologically, physically, and sociologically based. And they all are meant to make 'life better' in a physical and an ideological sense. That's why they must change all the time.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 16:06
anonymous

It is immoral to amass billions of dollars in one hand and have others at the same time who must survive from one dollar a day. There are so many things that are immoral but accepted at the same time. Moral is only for the small "a55holes" who believe in morals. And the 'big' ones know very well why they 'teach' morals. Otherwise they'd be the first who'd have to lose what they 'stole' from the communities.

By EmmysMaa• 13 Jun 2011 16:05
EmmysMaa

"Morals" are traits more psychological rather than physical or tangible in effect....... as rightly said deeply seated!

"Values" are beliefs of a person , can be fungible accordingly.... inheritance deemed to be responsible for both!

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:56
anonymous

Moralistic people permanently violate their instincts and desires. It's time for morals 'closer' to reality!

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 15:54
procrastnator

“People say: ‘I have high moral expectations of myself and others, but I know we are all human so I’m looking for a batting average.’ We find a comfort zone of morality, a kind of middle-class middle level where we think we are doing well. We cut the grass. We don’t double-park. But we ignore the larger issues of sin.”

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:52
anonymous

Who says "thou shalt not steal"? If I have to steal to feed myself or my family it is perfectly morally!!

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:49
anonymous

There is a distinct correlation between the two and it is a case of what comes first the chicken or the egg. I think children should be taught both morals and values at home however difficult the concept can be.

Children have to be taught an exact code of behaviour. They must be told what is expected of them in no uncertain terms at all times. If it is left up to each young child to decide; the actual result will be children who turn into immoral, wishy - washy people who have no moral benchmark. Once they are older and have the skills, they are then free to allow their own values and morals to evolve in order for them to adapt into any scenario they find themselves in.

We all share (or should do) the same morals and values regardless of religion or culture and the very basic ones are:-

Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal and simply moral maxims such as ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ are useful to understand and apply. Children can be taught and explained how and why these things would make sense.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:39
anonymous

There is one possible value leading to morality: does it kill me? If a person wants to live, everything that can cause his dead is immoral. Anything else is not. And if the person is almost 'holy', he will ask: will it harm anybody, or: what happens if everybody does what I am about to do? And then he decides what is moral.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:35
anonymous

The problem is that an intelligent child will sooner or later find out that morals are not objectively true! And then the child feels betrayed. It is asked too much from a child to 'understand' morals. Therefore parents and other institutions use some kind of 'force'. (like punishment in hell, etc.) However, the child finds out that this is all rubbish. And then the morals are completely irrelevant. Many people brought up in a morally 'sound' environment turn 180 degrees once they reach the age of 18 and are free to choose!

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 15:31
procrastnator

sorry for posting it twice

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 15:29
procrastnator

Dude good morals can only be built if a persons parents have put alot of effort in teaching it to him in his pre teen years and also the atmosphere of a persons home and the people whom he used to see or mingle with in his childhood stays in the heart. Bad association spoil useful habits. So its the way a person is brought up that plays a major role in his being morally clean. but ultimately its our associates who mold it

By procrastnator• 13 Jun 2011 15:29
procrastnator

Dude good morals can only be built if a persons parents have put alot of effort in teaching it to him in his pre teen years and also the atmosphere of a persons home and the people whom he used to see or mingle with in his childhood stays in the heart. Bad association spoil useful habits. So its the way a person is brought up that plays a major role in his being morally clean. but ultimately its our associates who mold it

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:21
anonymous

What I learnt is that I had to get over the morals I was taught in order to live a happy and 'good' life! What was good for my parents, didn't apply to my life in my time.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:19
anonymous

Values and Morals are largely ingrainedduring our formative years but they can be taught as well.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 15:16
anonymous

Morality is not absolute, but relative and constitutes any set of behaviors that encourage human cooperation based on their ideology. Normally an ideology tries to make life 'better'. As societies and people are changing, so does morality. If a religion is the basis for a moral framework and it must be maintained unchanged, it will surely fail one day when the changes of societies, technologies, etc. require new values or behaviors.

By britexpat• 13 Jun 2011 14:56
britexpat

But it seems that common morals are widely accepted accross most communities, whereas the values may differ greatly..

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 14:39
anonymous

Values can be a-moral, brit. A killer has values which are not based on any morals, only on his interests! Morals are therefore interests that have a broad acceptance in a community. From that point of view morals are just a set of interests widely accepted.

By britexpat• 13 Jun 2011 14:35
britexpat

Are values based on morals ?

Are the two inter twined or seperate ?

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 14:27
anonymous

We are born and raised in Black and White. Unfortunately the world is full of colors. Sooner or later, depending on each personality, there will be a clash. And very often a personality develops into the opposite of what he is told. Some people, however, are not at all affected by 'education'. They are born as responsible 'human beings', and they don't even need the Ten Commandments!

By bars_747• 13 Jun 2011 11:13
bars_747

Morals are much deeper than Values, I think values are learned as we grow old thru people around us, however, at the moment when we realize that we have our own thinking and ideas, our morals come out and rule over... and yeah you can't change morals it's like how we differentiate the good from the bad, even without laws, morals will always come out of a person.

By anonymous• 13 Jun 2011 10:40
anonymous

Yes, as they say - it is in the genes

By FathimaH• 13 Jun 2011 10:23
Rating: 2/5
FathimaH

I believe both are interconnected and cannot be inherited except by choice. Its essential to believe in the wisdom and reasoning behind your morals and values to have it etched in your heart and actions.

By lucas3oster• 13 Jun 2011 10:22
lucas3oster

An attempt to undedrstand morals from a contemporary (scientific) point of view in Sam Harris's "The Moral Landscape".

By Formatted Soul• 13 Jun 2011 10:14
Formatted Soul

Good morals are set of characters accepted by a society we live in. It can be religious as well.

Values may not to be the same or all.. It depends on many factors like social..cultural…political…economic etc..

By s_isale• 13 Jun 2011 10:08
s_isale

what are good morals and what are good values?

Doesnt this change according to culture?

By Formatted Soul• 13 Jun 2011 10:01
Formatted Soul

Brit it’s hard to judge person’s morals until we know them fully. Seeing their values we are sometimes deceived to believe that they have good morals as well... but not always true.

By britexpat• 13 Jun 2011 09:57
britexpat

As you rightly say, morals are deep seated whereas values are more personal and can change frequently depending on internal/external factors.

Can a person with good values have bad morals?

I personaly don't think so, since usually one's values are based on morals.

By engr_612• 13 Jun 2011 09:57
Rating: 4/5
engr_612

Our behavoirs and our morals are thought out choices we learn as we grow up! At age 2 or 3 we begin by learning and watching our Parents and siblings. Then we form an image or a thought pattern into our brains and we begin a core belief! These beliefs are normally formed at ages 4-8 yrs old. We learn through watching others and what we feel as our body and minds develope at these ages. Moral thinking normaly begins at age 12 or so! By then we learned what is good and bad. Morals can become beliefs over time.. We also see them in a spectrum of Black and white! As we become adults we add too these Morals and do change them to fit into our Lifestyle's. Even our Mates can change our thinking! Morals are things that keep us Grounded to what we all consider as who we are...

By flexicode• 13 Jun 2011 09:54
flexicode

Question of the day...I think it is.

Log in or register to post comments

More from Qatar Living

Qatar’s top beaches for water sports thrills

Qatar’s top beaches for water sports thrills

Let's dive into the best beaches in Qatar, where you can have a blast with water activities, sports and all around fun times.
Most Useful Apps In Qatar - Part Two

Most Useful Apps In Qatar - Part Two

This guide brings you the top apps that will simplify the use of government services in Qatar.
Most Useful Apps In Qatar - Part One

Most Useful Apps In Qatar - Part One

this guide presents the top must-have Qatar-based apps to help you navigate, dine, explore, access government services, and more in the country.
Winter is coming – Qatar’s seasonal adventures await!

Winter is coming – Qatar’s seasonal adventures await!

Qatar's winter months are brimming with unmissable experiences, from the AFC Asian Cup 2023 to the World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024 and a variety of outdoor adventures and cultural delights.
7 Days of Fun: One-Week Activity Plan for Kids

7 Days of Fun: One-Week Activity Plan for Kids

Stuck with a week-long holiday and bored kids? We've got a one week activity plan for fun, learning, and lasting memories.
Wallet-friendly Mango Sticky Rice restaurants that are delightful on a budget

Wallet-friendly Mango Sticky Rice restaurants that are delightful on a budget

Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a sweet escape into the world of budget-friendly Mango Sticky Rice that's sure to satisfy both your cravings and your budget!
Places to enjoy Mango Sticky Rice in  high-end elegance

Places to enjoy Mango Sticky Rice in high-end elegance

Delve into a world of culinary luxury as we explore the upmarket hotels and fine dining restaurants serving exquisite Mango Sticky Rice.
Where to celebrate World Vegan Day in Qatar

Where to celebrate World Vegan Day in Qatar

Celebrate World Vegan Day with our list of vegan food outlets offering an array of delectable options, spanning from colorful salads to savory shawarma and indulgent desserts.