Saturday, February 22, 2020

THE DEATH OF REASON

      In more reasonable times, it was understood that the “burden of proof” rested on those that sought to deviate from normally accepted standards of morality. These “accepted standards” were usually based on long-standing religious doctrines, or cultural niceties, and often had no legal standing. For example, lying to your mother is not normally acceptable to society, because it is morally wrong. However, lying to mother is not normally illegal. On the other hand, murder is both morally wrong and illegal. Again, “in more reasonable times,” moral standards were as effective in determining behavior, as were legal prohibitions. Indeed, most people were more concerned about “right or wrong” than they were about “legal or illegal.”
      Throughout the ages, wherein morally right governed people as much, or more, as legally right, it was understood that deviation from “normally accepted standards of morality” required a much higher burden of proof to do so than simply stating, “it is illegal.” Legal or illegal may be determined by the wishes of government, but morally right is determined by higher authority. While I personally believe God is The Higher Authority, I realize that many people do not agree with my belief. Therefore, let’s identify the higher authority as being the welfare of society. The “Welfare of Society” is a much higher standard than legal or illegal, because that which is “legal or illegal” by man-made decree, is not always best for society. Slavery was an example of “legal” and Prohibition was an example of “illegal,” but both proved detrimental to society.
      Today, the law, which only defines “legal,” or “illegal,” and often does not consider “right,” or “wrong,” is being used to determine the moral standards of society. Keep in mind that societies existed long before written legal codes, but every society that failed to maintain a moral code, failed.

Jim

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